The state of the nursing profession currently reflects the state of the economy. With unemployment hitting record levels, many non-active nurses have returned to the profession and others have taken on more shifts in order to meet the needs of their families. Hospitals have been hit hard in the pocketbook by the fact that many [...]
Career paths abound in Portland-area health care (The Oregonian)
April 23, 2009 By
Health care is called the recession-proof industry with jobs still available at local hospitals, but they aren’t as plentiful as a year ago, human resource directors say. (From left) nurses Stacey Guffey, Marilyn Wheeler and Kent Senffner work in the Progressive Cardiac Care Unit at Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital.Nursing student enrollments more than double in eight years (The Oregonian)
April 23, 2009 By
Nursing student enrollments more than double in eight years
by Janet Goetz
Friday April 24, 2009, 6:00 AM
When Allison Frazeur graduates from the University of Portland in May, she won’t worry about finding a job. She knows she will be a nurse for the Providence Health System.
Frazeur, 21, is one of 30 UP nursing students selected annually for the Providence Scholars Program, which paid her last two years of college tuition. In return, she agreed to work full time for three years for the Providence system in Oregon.
The program, started in the 2002-03 academic year, is one of several efforts developed in the past eight years by a coalition of educators, health systems and professional organizations to increase the number of nurses and nursing educators in Oregon.
In that time, enrollment has more than doubled in nursing programs at community colleges and private and public universities, said Kristine Campbell, the executive director of the Oregon Center for Nursing.
“I don’t believe any other state has doubled its enrollment,” she added.
The nonprofit center was created in 2001 by the coalition, the Oregon Nursing Leadership Council, with a succinct mission: provide the leadership to solve the nursing shortage in Oregon.
A 2001 Northwest Health Foundation report indicated the state would have 20 percent fewer nurses than it would need by 2010, given changing demographics and population growth.
In 2000, Oregon had 1,325 nursing students, Campbell said. By 2007, the state had 3,009 nursing students.
However, as Oregon increased the number of nursing students, Campbell said, the faculty numbers expanded by only 20 percent.
“The big issue right now is the faculty shortage,” she said, noting that nurses who teach receive about half the pay of those in other positions.
Another concern is retirements fast approaching among the more than 44,200 registered nurses in Oregon. Nursing faculty members’ average age is 52 and the average age of other nurses is 48, Campbell said.
Although more nurses are graduating, local hospitals are hiring cautiously in all fields because of the national economic slump. That makes many of her classmates nervous, Frazeur said.
“I feel really fortunate to have a contract,” she said.
Layoff Stress, Miss Universe and Nursing Shortages (The Tuscaloosa News)
April 23, 2009 By
Nursing official appointed to state board (Erie Times-News)
April 23, 2009 By
MEADVILLE — MaryAnn Hewston, director of clinical and support services at Meadville Medical Center, has been appointed by Gov. Ed Rendell to the Pennsylvania State Board of Examiners of Nursing Home Administrators.
Hewston, of Conneaut Lake, will be sworn in to her four-year term on May 20 in Harrisburg.
The board issues, suspends and revokes registrations and licenses to practice nursing home administration. It also supervises administrators and investigates complaints made against nursing home administrators.
How to select a nursing home (Suburban Journals)
April 23, 2009 By
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In recent months, the Journal has published a series of stories about nursing homes and the rating system used to measure nursing homes against state and federal regulations.
A common thread throughout many of the stories has been the admission by many – including those who are both happy and dismayed with the care a loved one receives in a nursing home – an expression of consternation when the time came to select a nursing home for a family member.
Eric Setzer, information coordinator with the Long Term Care Ombudsman Program of St. Louis, said many people immediately assume an older family member needs assisted living or skilled nursing help. However, that may not always be the case, Setzer said.
“We want to talk about what a person is capable of doing on their own and what kind of things they need assistance with,” Setzer said.
Take into consideration an individual’s ability to go shopping, bathe, do laundry and perform other daily activities.
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“What I’m trying to determine is whether we are even needed to talk about long-term caregivers,” Setzer said of the questions he immediately asks when a person consults the ombudsman program about services for an elderly or disabled loved one.
It is also important, he said, to make sure that if an individual needs long-term care, the choice of facility is made with thought toward the individual’s future needs. In other words, Setzer said he tries to steer families away from selecting a facility that works immediately, but is no longer suitable six months or a year down the road.
One should make certain a facility has what Setzer called a “pathway to safety” – a route an individual can take to safety in the event of an emergency. The pathway to safety should not take longer than five minutes.
It also is important facilities conduct regular assessments of a resident’s care plan, Setzer said.
Setzer suggested thoroughly evaluating a site. That includes looking at state and federal inspection reports (www.dhss.mo.gov/showmelongtermcare/), the 5-star rating system from Medicaid (www.medicare.gov/NHCompare/) and, most importantly, visiting the facility.
Setzer also warns against visiting more than three or four facilities a day, so as not to get them confused.
Senior care service experts agree the site visit is the most important part of selecting a nursing home.
Julie Eckstein, the former director of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, said it is essential families research facilities before placing a loved one in a nursing home.
“It’s sad that in many cases we’ll do more research for a car or television rather than health caregivers,” said Eckstein, who now runs the Missouri office of the Center for Health Transformation.
Talk to family members, ask facility workers to address violations in reports, talk to the facility director, and take a friend who is likely to address the issue without the emotional connection to your family member. If a facility director seems to dodge your questions about violations, Setzer said a red light should go off in your head.
“I would feel much more comfortable if the response started like this: ‘We realize there have been some medication errors in our facility and we are taking the following steps,’ with a time, place and those attending,” he said.
Setzer recommended people start looking at facilities as their parents age, so they’re not caught hurrying if and when the time comes to place their parents in a nursing home.
Also, if financing is a worry, the ombudsman program advises families to ensure loved ones are being cared for by a registered nurse, skilled nurse or occupational therapist. Medicare requires that skilled professionals administer care in order to cover expenses.
Quick guide
1. Determine what level of care is needed. An individual that is relatively independent may not need a nursing home, but other service, such as an in-home assistant.
2. Research state and federal inspection reports and Medicare 5-star ratings for facilities you are considering.
3. Visit multiple homes. Be sure to speak with family members of residents, the director of nursing, and have the director of nursing address violations of regulations cited in inspection reports.
4. Take a friend or someone else who is not emotionally attached to the individual who needs assistance. He or she may provide a different perspective on each nursing home you visit.
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Nursing school grads see opportunities shrink (Rapid City Journal)
April 23, 2009 By
Nursing school grads see opportunities shrink
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FarkWhen Whitney Lenz began nursing school in 2007, nurses could basically pick and choose their dream jobs.
Not anymore.
Under the weight of a worsening economy, hospitals nationally are cutting pay, eliminating raises and laying off employees. Rapid City Regional Hospital, which employs 777 registered nurses, hired 64 nurses last year. This year, the hospital expects to cut back to just 40 to 50 new hires.
For nursing students who were expecting a smooth transition into the work force after graduation, the situation looks grim for getting their preferred job.
"It’s been very nerve-wracking," Lenz said. "It was way different when I first decided to be a nurse."
But Barb Hobbs, head of the South Dakota State University West River School of Nursing in Rapid City, is trying to calm students’ nerves with a little history lesson.
"I’ve seen this cycle happen over and over again. … Hospitals basically pull back temporarily. … But as the economy improves, they will re-establish positions, because you know the patients are still going to come," she said. "We try to tell our students that this is a transient thing."
In the mid-1990s, the nursing industry nationwide began warning of a pending nursing shortage. According to a 2004 nursing survey, more than 1 million new and replacement nurses will be needed by 2012 to care for the aging baby boomer generation.
At the time of the survey, 75 percent of hospital openings nationwide were for nursing positions.
In South Dakota, vacancy rates for registered nursing positions were at 5.8 percent in 2005, up from 3.9 percent in 2002.
To fill the jobs, South Dakota nursing organizations formed the South Dakota Center for Nursing Workforce. The alliance promoted solutions to the shortage, including educating the public about nursing and increasing educational options.
SDSU in Brookings and the University of South Dakota in Vermillion increased class sizes and admitted nursing students more often throughout the school years. SDSU added an accelerated one-year program for students who already had an undergraduate degree. Nursing scholarships also were increased and expanded.
The changes worked, said Linda Young, director of the Center for Nursing Workforce.
In 1999, there were 976 students enrolled in registered nursing programs in the state. Last year, that number had risen to 1,699. "It had a good effect," she said.
Now some of those students are wondering what kind of options they will have after graduation.
Lenz, who will graduate May 2, said a lot of her classmates are looking into the military as an alternative to the iffy private job market. Lenz hopes to work in an emergency department, but realizes she might not have her first pick in jobs.
Young admits that during such economic times, employed registered nurses usually keep their positions, and new nurses sometimes have to be a little less picky.
"At this point, new graduate nurses may not get to pick exactly where they want to go for their first job," Young said. "But we know … this economic downturn will turn around. … Historically, nursing is a very secure profession."
That push to second- and third-choice jobs could even be a bonus for South Dakota. New nursing graduates might take jobs in rural areas, which often struggle to keep nurses, Young said.
Despite the current belt-tightening in the medical field, the Center for Nursing Workforce is not planning to change its course. Young said that the average age of nurses in the state is 46. By 2015, many of today’s nurses will be nearing retirement age. Without an adequate supply of new nurses to fill the void, the result could be dramatic.
"We just have to be diligent and continue to prepare for 2015 when those nurses will begin retiring in greater numbers," she said.
Hobbs said that the reality of the situation is that hospitals and nursing homes need nurses. "When it comes right down to it, the person they need at the bedside is a nurse," she said. For that reason, she’s confident the tide will turn and her students will be just fine.
Although Lenz is concerned, she’s decided to take the advice of her instructors and stay positive.
"I know it will turn around," she said. "You just don’t know how long it will take."
Contact Lynn Taylor Rick at lynn.taylorrick@rapidcityjournal.com or 394-8414.
Nursing school grads see opportunities shrink (Rapid City Journal)
April 23, 2009 By
Nursing school grads see opportunities shrink
When Whitney Lenz began nursing school in 2007, nurses could basically pick and choose their dream jobs.
Not anymore.
Under the weight of a worsening economy, hospitals nationally are cutting pay, eliminating raises and laying off employees. Rapid City Regional Hospital, which employs 777 registered nurses, hired 64 nurses last year. This year, the hospital expects to cut back to just 40 to 50 new hires.
For nursing students who were expecting a smooth transition into the work force after graduation, the situation looks grim for getting their preferred job.
"It’s been very nerve-wracking," Lenz said. "It was way different when I first decided to be a nurse."
But Barb Hobbs, head of the South Dakota State University West River School of Nursing in Rapid City, is trying to calm students’ nerves with a little history lesson.
"I’ve seen this cycle happen over and over again. … Hospitals basically pull back temporarily. … But as the economy improves, they will re-establish positions, because you know the patients are still going to come," she said. "We try to tell our students that this is a transient thing."
In the mid-1990s, the nursing industry nationwide began warning of a pending nursing shortage. According to a 2004 nursing survey, more than 1 million new and replacement nurses will be needed by 2012 to care for the aging baby boomer generation.
At the time of the survey, 75 percent of hospital openings nationwide were for nursing positions.
In South Dakota, vacancy rates for registered nursing positions were at 5.8 percent in 2005, up from 3.9 percent in 2002.
To fill the jobs, South Dakota nursing organizations formed the South Dakota Center for Nursing Workforce. The alliance promoted solutions to the shortage, including educating the public about nursing and increasing educational options.
SDSU in Brookings and the University of South Dakota in Vermillion increased class sizes and admitted nursing students more often throughout the school years. SDSU added an accelerated one-year program for students who already had an undergraduate degree. Nursing scholarships also were increased and expanded.
The changes worked, said Linda Young, director of the Center for Nursing Workforce.
In 1999, there were 976 students enrolled in registered nursing programs in the state. Last year, that number had risen to 1,699. "It had a good effect," she said.
Now some of those students are wondering what kind of options they will have after graduation.
Lenz, who will graduate May 2, said a lot of her classmates are looking into the military as an alternative to the iffy private job market. Lenz hopes to work in an emergency department, but realizes she might not have her first pick in jobs.
Young admits that during such economic times, employed registered nurses usually keep their positions, and new nurses sometimes have to be a little less picky.
"At this point, new graduate nurses may not get to pick exactly where they want to go for their first job," Young said. "But we know … this economic downturn will turn around. … Historically, nursing is a very secure profession."
That push to second- and third-choice jobs could even be a bonus for South Dakota. New nursing graduates might take jobs in rural areas, which often struggle to keep nurses, Young said.
Despite the current belt-tightening in the medical field, the Center for Nursing Workforce is not planning to change its course. Young said that the average age of nurses in the state is 46. By 2015, many of today’s nurses will be nearing retirement age. Without an adequate supply of new nurses to fill the void, the result could be dramatic.
"We just have to be diligent and continue to prepare for 2015 when those nurses will begin retiring in greater numbers," she said.
Hobbs said that the reality of the situation is that hospitals and nursing homes need nurses. "When it comes right down to it, the person they need at the bedside is a nurse," she said. For that reason, she’s confident the tide will turn and her students will be just fine.
Although Lenz is concerned, she’s decided to take the advice of her instructors and stay positive.
"I know it will turn around," she said. "You just don’t know how long it will take."
Contact Lynn Taylor Rick at lynn.taylorrick@rapidcityjournal.com or 394-8414.
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HILLSBOROUGH: Nursing home building a new residence (Hillsborough Beacon)
April 23, 2009 By
By Audrey Levine, Staff Writer
Though it will remain open during construction, the Foothill Acres Rehabilitation & Nursing Center, on East Mountain Road, is undergoing a complete facelift in an effort to better serve Hillsborough residents.
”We are really building something brand new,” said Mary Ann Buteau, director of admissions and business development for the center. “But we will continue to operate during this process.”
This desire for reconstruction has been about six years in the making, after the center changed ownership in October 2002. According to Ms. Buteau, the new owners decided to construct an entire new building to offer more beds and rehabilitation opportunities.
To move forward with this plan, Ms. Buteau said, the owners decided to demolish a residential building — that was the first to be erected when the center was being built in 1954 — as well as the administration, and supply and laundry buildings. The new building, she said, will serve to house residents, administrators and all other functions of the center.
”These buildings were old,” she said. “We feel that in order to provide more services, we need a new building.”
According to Marc Schon, director of the center, reconstruction was preferable to simple renovations because it would allow for more changes to be made to better serve the town.
”Renovations wasn’t practical,” he said. “We wouldn’t have gotten everything we wanted for the residents.”
The three buildings were demolished beginning in mid-February, and Ms. Buteau said they are just about finished removing the debris from the area. She said she expects they will break ground before May 1, and the construction should take about 12 to 14 months to complete.
After that, it will just be a matter of completing permit forms before opening, Ms. Buteau said.
”Once it is one building, we will transfer the residents into this new 200-bed facility,” she said.
Currently, Ms. Buteau said, there are still two buildings standing on the property, which will remain open until the new building is fully constructed. At that time, they will be demolished as well, she said.
According to Ms. Buteau, the facility is actually certified to hold 190 residents, but has only been housing 122 since 2002 when the new owners closed down the original residential building. The new facility will add 78 more spaces for residents.
In addition to the extra beds, the new building will also include a larger subacute rehabilitation center than the one Foothill Acres currently has, allowing for more services. According to Ms. Buteau, this center offers rehabilitative services and other nursing care for those patients who will be discharged at a later date.
The center will also offer a 44-bed Alzheimer’s unit and two 60-bed long-term units, both larger than what the center currently offers.
In addition, with the new building, Mr. Schon said about 95 percent of residents will be able to have their own private space. Although most rooms have two beds, there will be a curtain down the middle to separate the areas and allow for more privacy.
”There is no other long-term care facility in Hillsborough,” Ms. Buteau said. “We will be able to better meet the needs of the community.”
As the project continues, Ms. Buteau said, residents of the facility and staff members are excited for the changes ahead. She said the climate in Hillsborough has changed over the years, and the center needs to make alterations to accommodate more people in wheelchairs and those with other ailments.
”Our staff is very excited,” she said. “They all can’t wait for it to be finished. And people in the community seem very positive about it.”
Mr. Schon said the goal is to maintain the current feel of the center and keep it very “family oriented.”
”We are trying to keep the country setting,” he said. “We have put a lot of thought into it.”
For more information about the facility, visit the Web site at foothillacres.com.
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Nursing home official admits $600,000 fraud (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
April 23, 2009 By
A Canonsburg woman who served as the financial controller for two nursing homes admitted yesterday to embezzling more than $600,000 from them.
Gayle Phillips-Smith, 48, pleaded guilty to one count of embezzlement from a health care benefit program and to one count of tax evasion.
According to the U.S. attorney’s office, Ms. Phillips-Smith served as the financial controller at Baldock Health Care Center in North Huntingon, and Humbert Lane Nursing and Rehabilitation in Washington, from 2001 to 2005.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Luke Dembosky said that Ms. Phillips-Smith used an ATM card without authorization nearly 500 times to remove $247,669 between August 2001 and November 2004. Further, he told U.S. District Judge Terrence F. McVerry that she used electronic transfers to her personal bank accounts to take additional money. Sometimes she disguised the payments to herself by representing them to be payments to vendors, Mr. Dembosky said.
In addition, Ms. Phillips-Smith doctored the books at Humbert Lane so that no payroll tax was withheld from her own paycheck and used electronic funds transfers to the IRS for payroll taxes for her personal business, and then later claimed refunds for the excess that was transferred.
Ms. Phillips-Smith faces a possible prison term of 37 to 46 months under the recommended guideline range. In addition to paying back $627,919.31, Ms. Phillips-Smith is responsible for $143,904 in unpaid taxes.
She will be sentenced on July 24.
First published on April 24, 2009 at 12:00 am
UA nursing school offers students hands-on experience (The Traveler)
April 23, 2009 By
At the UA College of Education and Health Professions, the Eleanor Mann School of Nursing offers its students a progressive curriculum to better prepare them for the nursing profession.
After students graduate from an approved nursing program, they often receive on-the-job training, but those who graduate from the UA School of Nursing already have a strong background in hands-on experience.
Many of the courses offered by the UA nursing school incorporate experiential activities to give students a better idea of current issues in the nursing field.
The students in the UA program begin some clinical work experience as early as their sophomore year in the nursing school.
“All of our courses provide services to the individual client or community, as that is what nursing centers (are about), whether it is in the hospital, school system, community center, nursing home or other community agencies in which nursing is present,” said Nancy Smith-Blair, associate professor and interim director of the UA School of Nursing.
Because of a shortage of nurses today, many student nurses see the need to be prepared to enter the workforce with a significant amount of understanding and experience in the nursing field.
According to a Bureau of Labor Statistics report released in 2002, the nation’s nursing shortage is expected to reach 29 percent in upcoming years, which equals 800,000 unfilled nursing positions by the year 2020.
“There are many science majors who cannot take advantage of the health care shortage because they do not have the proper training,” said Jennifer DeMoto, a laboratory assistant at the Pat Walker Health Center.
“If you specialize in a field like nursing, the most important qualification you can have is the proper education and certifications,” she said.
Also, the UA nursing school provides students a multitude of nursing volunteer opportunities, either near home or overseas.
The School of Nursing even has “a student organization that volunteers on several projects, such as blood pressure screening, health fairs, wellness programs, flu shots and much more,” Smith-Blair said.
Through these nursing experiences, students aim to give back to the community while gaining a practical education.
Nursing Home Chief Accused Of Selling Cocaine (KOCO 5 Oklahoma City)
April 23, 2009 By
Nursing home controller admits taking $600,000 (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
April 23, 2009 By
A Canonsburg woman who served as the financial controller for two nursing homes admitted today to embezzling more than $600,000 from them.
Gayle Phillips-Smith, 48, pleaded guilty to one count of embezzlement from a health care benefit program and to one count of tax evasion.
According to the U.S. attorney’s office, Ms. Phillips-Smith served as the financial controller at Baldock Health Care Center in North Huntingdon, and Humbert Lane Nursing and Rehabilitation in Washington, from 2001 to 2005.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Luke Dembosky said that Ms. Phillips-Smith used an ATM card without authorization nearly 500 times to remove $247,669 between August 2001 and November 2004. Further, he told U.S. District Judge Terrence F. McVerry that she used electronic transfers to her personal bank accounts to take additional dollars. Sometimes she disguised the payments to herself by representing them to be payments to vendors, Mr. Dembosky said. In addition, Ms. Phillips-Smith doctored the books at Humbert Lane so that no payroll tax was withheld from her own paycheck and used electronic funds transfers to the IRS for payroll taxes for her own personal business, and then later claimed refunds for the transferred excess that was transferred.
Ms. Phillips-Smith faces a possible prison term of 37 to 46 months under the recommended guideline range. In addition to paying back $627,919.31, Ms. Phillips-Smith is also responsible for $143,904 in unpaid taxes.
She will be sentenced on July 24.
Paula Reed Ward can be reached at pward@post-gazette.com or 412-263-2620.
First published on April 23, 2009 at 4:09 pm
Texas House Gives Nod To Nursing School Incentives (CBS 11 Dallas – Fort Worth)
April 23, 2009 By
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Apr 23, 2009 9:17 am US/Central
Texas House Gives Nod To Nursing School Incentives
AUSTIN (AP) ―
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An estimated shortage of 22,000 nurses across Texas drove the state House on Wednesday to tentatively approve a measure that would increase the incentives some nursing schools get for hiring more teachers and graduating more nurses.
The issue is on the minds of many lawmakers this session, and in many bills seeking to move forward in the final weeks of the session.
“Nurses are good jobs, and we’re having to import nurses. Yet when you look at the kinds of jobs you want your children and other people’s children to have, this one jumps to the forefront,” said Rep. Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, the author of the bill approved Wednesday.
Kolkhorst’s proposal would target some state grants toward hiring nursing faculty at some nursing schools. She is also behind incentives in the state budget to reward nursing schools that have a more than 70 percent graduation rate.
The state estimates that if Texas fails to graduate more nurses as the population grows, demand will outstrip registered nurses by 70,000 in 2020. Kolhorst said her measures aim to catch up to demand by 2013.
Supporters of Kolkhorst’s bill say nursing schools can’t get more graduates until they have more teachers.
Texas nursing schools had to turn away 8,000 qualified applicants in 2008 because they didn’t have enough faculty, said Rep. Donna Howard, D-Austin.
“That’s one of the biggest kinks in the pipeline, is lack of faculty,” said Howard, a former nurse who is supporting the bill. “Nurses with advanced degrees can typically make at least $20,000 more working in a clinical setting rather than in academia.”
The state has had a grant program, called the Professional Nursing Shortage Reduction Program, to give incentives to nursing schools since 2005. Currently the grants are handed out based on how much nursing schools increase the number of graduates each year, said Chris Fowler with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. The board hands out the grants.
“There are three stipulations (for use of the money). For new faculty, salary supplements for current faculty, and preceptors,” Fowler said. Preceptors are hospitals nurses who agree to take on nursing students for their clinical training, she said.
Kolkhorst’s bill would smooth the way for some of that grant money to be given to schools up front, rather than after a school has established higher graduation rates.
Fowler said if the changes are made, the board could direct about half of the $24.7 million each year in grant money proposed in a House version of the two-year state budget to schools that need the funding in order to increase graduation rates.
“(Schools) would say, we agree to graduate 30 more students two years from now, but we need up front money in order to build our enrollment,” she said.
The House version of the budget still has to be reconciled with a Senate version, so funding for the grants could change.
Some other bills still winding their way through the Legislature would focus on retaining nurses by creating a better work environment.
The National Nurses Organizing Committee, a new union group for Texas nurses, insists that the nursing shortage can’t be solved by graduating more nurses.
“We have all the qualified nurses we need out there right now. They just can’t stomach working in the hospitals,” said Shum Preston, a spokesman for the union group.
Preston said nurses would come back if they had better working conditions and hospitals had mandated staffing ratios to keep nurses from being understaffed and overworked.
The union group supports House and Senate legislation that would create nurse ratios.
Other lawmakers and organizations like the Texas Hospital Association agree retaining nurses through better work conditions is a piece of the puzzle. But they say mandatory ratios do not allow for the flexibility hospitals need in staffing, particularly when dealing with patients who have different levels of need.
“One size does not fit all,” Howard said.
The nursing school grant bill must pass a final vote in the House before it can be sent to the Senate, where some efforts focus on giving money to hospitals.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
Md. Nursing Home Survey Is Updated (Washington Post)
April 22, 2009 By
A family member needs to go into a nursing home for short- or long-term care, but you have little time to pick a place and even less emotional energy to comparison-shop. And yet the decision can be life-altering for the person who is ill and the ones who guide the process.
Maryland residents, for the second year in a row, can turn to a state Web site to learn about options and to find out which nursing homes have been ranked by patients’ family members or others as having high-quality care and which came up short.
The Maryland Health Care Commission recently released its 2008 Maryland Nursing Home Family Experience of Care Survey, which rates about 235 nursing homes and continuing-care facilities based on the observations of family members or others designated by patients.
Maryland is one of a handful of states that collect and publish the information, said Bruce Kozlowksi, head of the commission’s Center for Long-Term Care and Community-Based Services.
"The commission is very oriented to public information and the availability of public information," he said. "That is a big part of our mission."
The nursing-home report scores facilities on the quality of the staff and the administration, the physical condition of the facility, the quality of care and food and whether residents’ rights and autonomy are being managed as promised. The report said that 89 percent of those responding would recommend particular nursing homes to others, a slight increase over the previous year’s report. The average score for overall care received was 8.2 out of 10, unchanged from 2007.
"There is substantial variation across nursing homes," Rex Cowdry, the commission’s executive director, said in a statement.
"One of our major goals in public reporting is to encourage improvements in care, particularly in nursing homes with lower scores," he said.
Smaller nursing homes, those with 80 beds or fewer, had the highest overall ratings, receiving scores of 8.8 out of a possible 10. They were followed by nonprofit homes and homes in the western section of Maryland, which were rated 8.6.
Kozlowski said the anonymity of the survey responses is a key factor in encouraging honest answers from family members or others who fill out the forms. The commission mailed 17,000 surveys in the fall and received about 9,000 responses, he said.
The commission expects to expand its surveys and data gathering in the next few years, and will seek opinions on short stays in rehabilitation facilities, as well as home health care and assisted-living facilities.
"We want to make more and more information available to Marylanders to benefit them in the context of their health-care choices," Kozlowksi said.
To see the nursing home survey results and other available tools, go to: http:/
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