Resident Satisfaction Up Citations Down

Since 2009 skilled nursing and post-acute care facilities have demonstrated improvement in nine of 10 quality measures, according to a report issued by The Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care and the American Health Care Association, in conjunction with Avalere Health.

Facility health survey citations have been on a steady decline, dropping 1% in two years. Additionally, resident satisfaction remains stable at 88%, six percentage points higher than in 2005. Researchers used data generated by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and interviews conducted by My InnerView. And with a new certification exam now required for activity directors, expect quality to improve even more.

Recommendations for continued quality improvements include developing more measures related to the care provided to short-stay nursing patients; continued involvement in national quality improvement initiatives among all nursing facilities; and developing more interventions to prevent hospital readmissions.

We have reported on nursing home satisfaction earlier. My InnerView has been measuring and reporting the level of consumer and workforce satisfaction in nursing homes since 2005.

It is important to remember that as satisfaction goes up so does positive word of mouth and testimonials about care. And that impacts marketing and sales.

Key findings from My InnerView include:

• Consumer and staff recommendation is above the national average in states with pay-for- performance programs.
• The care and services provided by the employee -- and the employee/resident relationship -- are the most consistent predictors of consumer recommendations.
• Competent and caring staff is a consistent predictor of resident and family recommendation.
• There is growing recognition that the definition of nursing home quality must continue to evolve to make it more congruent with the needs and preferences of many older Americans and their families who are seeking long-term care.

Read an e-book of the Alliance report.

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@Ryan McVay, Getty Images