Every healthcare facility has CMS ratings that usually provide good information about the level of professionalism and care in the nursing home care center, but unfortunately, there are some pretty unpleasant surprises. That is why your decision about committing to a certain facility cannot be based only on rates!
Think of it this way. It is like when you see some skin product online, and you see that it has great ratings and recommendations, but when you try the product, you are not satisfied, or your skin gets irritated. It is the same with certain facilities, but there are much bigger stakes than, for example, rash and redness. This is someone’s life and overall well-being, so reading just rates and believing in them blindly is irresponsible, at least.
On the other hand, they can be a certain indicator if you know what to look at. But to have that knowledge, you must know how ratings work and what families should keep in mind when making decisions.
The Illusion Of High Ratings
The rating of facilities goes from 1 to 5 stars. This means that 1 and 2 are poor rates and below average, and from 3 to 4 are pretty good rates, average and above. Of course, 5 is excellent, and not too many facilities have that kind of good ratings.
When looking separately at every facility’s ratings it can give you a pretty good insight, although it can always occur that you find out something about the facility that ratings don’t show or that shows the contrary.
However, when chains of facilities are in question, management usually highlights the average score for all the facilities in the chain. That can be very deceiving because, when you look at certain objects, they are 5 star rated, but some of them are rated with 2, and even 1 star.
For example, even though Trilogy Health Services has a 4.35 average rating across 132 facilities; at some of them, there are significant concerns about the safety of residents. Some of the facilities are rated with 1 or 2 stars, which is below average and a red flag, but because a lot of facilities are rated with 4 or 5 stars, the average rate is high.
This means that you should look carefully for individual rates for every object, never the average rate!
One more important information you need to find out is whether the rates reflect recent performance or outdated data.
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What Ratings Don’t Show
When you look at ratings, you usually see scores for overall rating, health inspection, and staff-to-resident ratios, but there are many important factors ratings don’t show.
For example, ratings don’t include staff turnover, which is a big indicator of the level of care and professionalism in the facility. If workers are not satisfied with the terms of the facility, it is less likely that the residents will be pleased as well.
Also, routine and trust are something every resident is looking for, and that’s hard to maintain if every now and then a new staff member’s there.
Ratings don’t show the quality of specialized care or unresolved complaints, which are also some very important information that you cannot neglect or simply not know.
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How To Evaluate Beyond The Numbers
With such an important decision you are about to make, you need to make sure that the facility you are going to choose is safe, professional, and that it works in the best interest of residents.
To be certain of your choice, you should check some important things beyond the numbers.
- Experience the Facilities firsthand: There are two truths out there, the one that’s written on paper, and the one that’s practiced in reality. And these two truths can differ drastically. This is the reason why YOU need to check the facility in person. Not on paper, nor over the phone. You have to be there, see it with your own eyes. In addition, consider the way the staff interacts, the hygiene standards and condition of the residents.
- Speak With Residents and Families: This is maybe the most valuable insight you can get. Ask the residents how they feel in the facility, whether they are happy and satisfied, and how caregivers are treating them. Also, speak with family members and ask them about the communication with the staff and if they are happy with their choice.
- Review Inspection Reports: This is also valuable information that you cannot get from ratings. Government inspection records often highlight lacks and imperfections.
- Check Facilities Transparency: You don’t want to have anything to do with the facility that is only trying to make everything look perfect. See if the facility speaks about past issues and what they have done to improve them.
Conclusion
As you probably have realized now, ratings are not the perfect and only indicator of health care center quality and expertise. They can show some level of care and sometimes even warn you about some violations and irregularities in the facility, but you should look beyond the numbers and check everything thoroughly.
In that way, you will get the reassurance that you are making the best possible decision for your loved one.
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