Quality Monitoring Program (QMP)

The Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) Quality Monitoring Program (QMP) helps address conditions in Texas nursing facilities (NFs) that could be detrimental to the health, safety and welfare of residents. QMP is not a regulatory program and quality monitors do not cite deficient practices. Quality monitors prioritize visits to NFs that have a history of resident care deficiencies, or that have been identified as having a higher-than-average risk of being cited for significant deficiencies in future surveys conducted by the HHSC Long-Term Care Regulation staff. During these visits, the quality monitors — nurses, pharmacists, and dietitians may:

Recommend changes to policies or procedures
Conduct staff or in-service training
Offer technical assistance
Educate staff about evidence-based best practices

Save the Date! 2025 Quality in Long-Term Care Conference

The 2025 Quality in Long-Term Care Conference (QLTCC) will be held at the Renaissance Austin Hotel, Aug. 27-28, 2025.

This year’s theme is “Blazing a Trail to Quality Improvement in Long-Term Care (PDF)"

The QLTCC offers presentations from nationally and internationally recognized experts. The topics include caring for people with dementia; infection prevention and control; current heath care trends; and cutting-edge advances in long-term care, aging, and disabilities. Registration will open June 2, 2025. Stay tuned for updates!

Email UT Steve Hicks School of Social Work for more information about this event.

Evidence-Based Best Practices

QMP has developed evidence-based best practice frameworks for improving the quality of care provided to people living in Texas nursing facilities.

Long-Term Care Modules

The Texas Health and Human Services Commission and the University of Texas at Austin School of Nursing are pleased to announce a collaborative effort to improve long-term care in Texas. This partnership makes available eight web-based modules delivering best practices education to providers of long-term care in Texas nursing homes. The modules are:

Infection Prevention and Control.
Reducing Antipsychotic Use in Long-Term Care Facilities.
Culture Change for Person-Centered Care.
Quality Improvement.
Advanced Geriatric Practice.
Transition to Practice.
Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.
Mental Health with Aging and Severe Mental Illness.

Each module provides education and resources for physicians, nurses, pharmacists, direct care staff, residents, and their family members. Continuing education credit is available for registered nurses, certified nurse aides and licensed nursing facility administrators. The information provided will help guide the decision-making process and improve care, using evidence-based best practices. This educational opportunity is provided free of charge.

To register and to find out more, visit Johnson-Turpin Center: Continuing Nursing Education | School of Nursing.

Nursing Facility Minimum Performance Standards (MPS)

House Bill (HB) 2658, 87th Legislature, Regular Session, 2021 amended the Government Code section 533.00251, adding Subsection (h) and directed the HHSC executive commissioner to adopt rules regarding the MPS for NFs that participate in STAR+PLUS.

For more information on the minimum performance standards, benchmarks, and resources, read Nursing Facility Minimum Performance Standards.

Long-Term Care Resources

QMP Resources has training information, innovative interventions, and other tools.

Rules and Statutes

In 2001, the 77th Texas Legislature passed the Texas Long-Term Care Facility Quality Improvement Act (Senate Bill 1839). This bill had several components, one of which was the Quality Monitoring Program for Nursing Facilities.

Based on that bill, the following state rules and statutes were created: