Media Release

For: Immediate Release
Date: April 30, 2008

Rhode Island Nursing Homes Outperform Nation in Second Statewide Report on Resident and Family Satisfaction with Nursing Home Care in Rhode Island

Today, the Rhode Island Department of Health (HEALTH) released the results of the second annual statewide survey on resident and family satisfaction with nursing home care in Rhode Island. The results of the survey indicate that Rhode Island nursing homes on average outperformed nursing homes nationwide that used the same survey in 2007. In Rhode Island, 92% of residents and 90% of family members rated their satisfaction with their nursing home as either “Good” or “Excellent.” In comparison, 86% of residents and 83% of family members in the national database rated their satisfaction as either “Good” or “Excellent.”

“These comparative data show how well Rhode Island nursing homes are doing in making improvements that focus on quality of life and the individual choices of residents,” said Director of Health, David R. Gifford, MD, MPH. “The value of these reports to the public is that they allow people to provide feedback to nursing homes and they give them information to make the right choices for their families.”

"Together with the publicly available quality measure scores and survey performance, the satisfaction scores provide additional information consumers can use to make informed choices when selecting a nursing home, " said Gail Patry, Director of Long Term Care, Quality Partners of Rhode Island.

Two reports are available on HEALTH’s Health Care Quality Program website at http://www.health.ri.gov/chic/performance/nursinghome.php. The 2007 Nursing Home Satisfaction Report provides information for consumers to use when choosing a nursing home, and contains information about resident and family satisfaction with each individual nursing home. The Supplemental Information details the survey process and comparative results that demonstrate how Rhode Island nursing homes performed compared to other nursing homes using the same survey firm, My InnerView, Inc., of Wisconsin. Together, these reports promote transparency for consumers and quality improvement efforts in Rhode Island nursing homes.

My InnerView, Inc. has compiled the largest database about resident and family and employee satisfaction in America's nursing homes. In 2007, My InnerView surveyed 27,397 residents and 118,985 family members in 4,116 nursing homes across the country. In Rhode Island, My InnerView surveyed 1,202 residents and 2,075 family members in 92 nursing homes with long-stay residents across the state. In comparison to the benchmarks established by My InnerView’s national database, Rhode Island facilities scored particularly high. The reports were created for the Health Care Quality Performance Measurement and Reporting Program, legislated in Rhode Island in 1998. The legislation requires public reporting of clinical performance measures and patient satisfaction for all Rhode Island licensed health care facilities and providers.

This project is the result of a collaboration by all of the licensed nursing homes in Rhode Island; the Rhode Island Health Care Association; the Rhode Island Association of Facilities and Services for the Aging; the Alliance for Better Long Term Care; the Rhode Island Department of Human Services; the Rhode Island Department of Elderly Affairs; the Rhode Island Long Term Care Coordinating Council; and the Department of Health's contractor, Quality Partners of Rhode Island. The resident and family surveys were developed and administered by My InnerView, Inc.