An organization based in Tallahassee, Florida, Families for Better Care, has released the first ever state-by-state report card evaluating the quality and adequacy of patient care provided to elderly and disabled residents in nursing homes. Substandard grades of “D” or “F” were awarded to 21 states.
In order to properly develop the rating behind the Nursing Home Report Card, the Florida elder care advocacy group analyzed a combination of staffing data from the Kaiser Family Foundation, performance data from CMS‘s Nursing Home Compare, and complaint data from each Office of State Long-term Care Ombudsmen. Using this data, each state was assigned a score based on its performance across eight federal criteria measures.
The reports showed a grading correlation between homes with adequate numbers of staff members and acceptable staffing procedures and hiring standards. Families for Better Care executive director Brian Lee spoke to members of the media in late August shortly after the report cards were released. He said:
“We’re excited about getting this report into the hands of public officials, nursing home owners, advocates and—most importantly—residents and their families. Our goal is to applaud those states that provide good care while motivating improvement for those that score poorly.”
Top Ranked Nursing Home States
Starting with the highest scores, the top 10 states listed below received the overall best report cards out of all 50 states:
- Alaska
- Rhode Island
- New Hampshire
- Hawaii
- Oregon
- Maine
- Utah
- Idaho
- South Dakota
- North Dakota
Families for Better Care found that the top seven states are the only ones that provide nursing home residents with more than one hour, on average, of professional care daily. Nursing homes in those states tended to have larger staffs with more experience. The Department of Health recommends that nursing home residents receive at least one hour of individual care from a physician or registered nurse each day.
Lowest Ranking Nursing Home States
Starting with the lowest scores, the following states listed below received the overall worst report cards out of all 50 states:
- Texas
- Louisiana
- Indiana
- Oklahoma
- Missouri
- New Mexico
- New York
- Michigan
- Nevada
- Illinois
Florida’s Grades
The state of Florida ranked surprisingly well, missing the top 10 “best” list by just one ranking, coming in at number 11 overall. Florida received an overall letter grade of “B”. Key highlights of Florida’s report card reflected the following:
- Professional nursing services was under the recommended length of time in Florida’s nursing homes, wherein each resident averaged only 39 minutes of professional nursing care per day.
- Less than 10 percent of Florida’s nursing homes cited a severe deficiency while 1 in 3 scored above average on health inspections.
- Florida’s ombudsman program verified slightly over half of registered complaints.
- Florida earned top marks of “A” for its Direct Care Staffing Hours. Florida ranks first in the Southeast Region in this category, scoring the region’s highest grade and number 5 overall.
- Florida also earned an “A” in Health Inspections Above Average, ranking eighth overall in this category
- The state’s biggest area needing improvement is its level of RN Hours and RN Staffing Above Average, receiving an “F” in both areas. This criterion is a reflection of Florida’s ever-growing demand for licensed Registered Nurses.
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