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Maryland Health Care Commission Presents 2008 Maryland Nursing Home Family Experience of Care Survey

By Jack Lebowitz, Esq. and Vadim Mzhen, Esq.

For the second year, the Maryland Health Care Commission has made available to consumers the ratings of individual nursing home results based on a survey taken by family members and other responsible parties about the care that their loved ones received at a long-term care facility. The 2008 Maryland Nursing Home Family Experience of Care Survey is available on the Commission?s Web site.

The survey is a collaboration between the nursing home industry, consumers, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, advocates, and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. 223 Maryland nursing homes were part of the survey. Short-term skilled nursing care and rehabilitation after a hospital stay were not included.

Some 9,645 of the 17,057 responsible parties who were contacted sent in survey responses by the January 13, 2009 due date. For participants to take part, their sick or elderly loved one had to have lived in a Maryland nursing home for at least 90 days. Areas rated for 2008 include the care residents received, administration and staff, food and meals, resident rights, resident autonomy, and physical aspects.

Average scores for overall care was 8.2 out of 10, which is the same as the year prior. 89% of respondents said they would recommend the Maryland nursing home that they were evaluating to others. Health officials are hoping the survey findings will help responsible parties who are trying to determine where to house a patient.

Choosing a Maryland Nursing Home
Choosing a nursing home for your loved one is a big step. It is important that you perform your due diligence about the long-term care facility you eventually select. This will hopefully minimize the chances of your loved one becoming the victim of nursing home abuse or nursing neglect.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid recommends a number of steps when choosing a nursing home, including:

1) Getting a list of nursing homes in your area and asking family, doctors, neighbors or friends for any recommendations.

2) Making sure that you compare the quality of care offered by the different nursing homes that you are considering. You can visit the Medicare?s Nursing Home Compare Web site for a list of homes in Maryland and find out how they are rated for the care they provide.

3) Visit the nursing homes you are considering so you can get a firsthand look at how current patients are taken care of, whether or not they appear happy and secure, and if you like the nurses and other workers and whether they seem attentive to the residents. You can also personally evaluate the facilities and services.

2008 Maryland Nursing Facility Family Survey, Maryland.gov (PDF)

Guide to Choosing a Nursing Home, Medicare.gov

Related Web Resources:
Nursing Home Compare, Medicare.gov

Maryland Nursing Home Guide, Maryland Health Care Commission

Our Maryland nursing home neglect and abuse law firm is committed to making sure nursing home victims and their loved ones receive the personal injury compensation they are owed. Contact Lebowitz & Mzhen today.

Full post as published by Maryland Accident Law Blog on April 05, 2009 (boomark / email).