State website rates quality, status of nursing homes

A new state online tool offers an overview of nursing homes in Ohio, touching on quality ratings, resident and family feedback, health and safety violations and other data.

Ohio Nursing Home Quality Navigator is designed to help people choose a nursing home for themselves or a loved one, according to a news release from Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine's office.

The navigator can be accessed through the Ohio Department of Aging's website at aging.ohio.gov/navigator. It was recommended by the Governor's Nursing Home Quality & Accountability Task Force.

Task force members reportedly traveled across the state to hear from nursing home residents, their family members, friends and caregivers.

Respondents reportedly indicated that information needed to make the crucial decision on where to live and receive care was scattered across a variety of sources.

"We heard loud and clear that Ohioans making these decisions want an accessible, trusted, single source of information about nursing homes available at their fingertips," DeWine said in a statement. "Our new online navigator will accomplish just that, providing an unprecedented level of transparency about the quality of Ohio's nursing homes so people can make informed choices."   

Navigator users can search for nursing homes by entering a city or zip code, with the option of extending the search range from 5-100 miles. They can then click on the name of a nursing home to learn details about the facility.

Data includes number of beds, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) Five-Star Quality Rating, resident and family satisfaction survey scores, staffing levels and information provided by the facility.

For instance, the navigator shows The Gardens At St. Henry is a skilled nursing facility with 25 certified beds. It has an overall CMS score of five stars. The state average CMS score is 2.9 stars.

It also has a CMS quality of care score of 5 stars, above the state average of 4 stars; a CMS health inspections score of 5 stars, above the state average of 2.8 stars and a resident satisfaction score of 86.4, above the state average of 78.7.

Moreover, The Gardens At St. Henry has a staffing score of 4 stars, above the stage average of 2.1 stars. This metric is determined by CMS based on measures related to staffing hours per resident per day, nurse turnover and administrator turnover.

The navigator also provides data on nursing home health and fire safety deficiencies, food quality and cleanliness.

Users can make direct side-by-side comparisons of nursing homes by selecting up to two facilities on the mobile version and up to three facilities on the desktop/tablet version.

"It is our hope that, in addition to providing increased transparency and convenience to Ohioans, the new online navigator will also incentivize nursing homes to continue reaching higher to deliver the very best quality of care and quality of life possible to the benefit of our state's nursing home residents and those who love and care for them," said Ohio Department of Aging Director Ursel McElroy in a statement.

The navigator was developed by the InnovateOhio Platform at the direction of the Governor's Office and ODA, with further support from the Ohio Department of Health and the Ohio Department of Medicaid, according to the release.

In the months ahead, the task force will continue to adopt several key strategies outlined in a recommendations report, including increasing the reach of long-term care resident advocates, bolstering the state's workforce of facility inspectors and expanding technical assistance for nursing homes, among other strategies, according to the news release.