By: Yuritza Arroyo
A new public-facing dashboard aimed at helping residents make informed decisions when choosing a nursing home has been launched by the New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH).
According to NJ officials, the site, which meets reporting requirements set out in legislation signed by Governor Murphy, empowers the Administration to engage in increased monitoring of nursing homes for the maintenance of key quality of care standards and also streamlines access to help inform the public’s decisions when selecting a nursing home.
Officials say, the dashboard will also equipt businesses and organizations with state and facility-level information that may aid investments, improvements, and advocacy decisions.
“Choosing a nursing home for a loved one is a deeply personal decision.
Providing information on the quality of care and other important factors will give individuals and families the ability to make a well-informed decision, often in trying times,” said Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli.
“We encourage people to review and compare the information.”
The searchable dashboard includes information on each of the state’s 356 nursing homes, such as:
- The nursing home’s Five Star Quality Ratings from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)
- Survey and inspection information
- Links to certified financial statements and cost reports
- General staffing levels and compliance to staffing ratios
- Names of owners and licensed nursing home administrators
The site, maintained by NJDOH’s Office of Long-Term Care Resiliency, will be updated as new information is available.
In addition to NJDOH data, other sources include CMS and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Healthcare Safety Network Long-term Care Facilities Component.
The dashboard aligns with the Administration’s priorities focusing on long-term care reforms and resiliency.
With the partnership of the Legislature, the state has increased oversight, monitoring, and survey activities across the continuum of care within the industry.
Legislation signed by Governor Murphy includes measures setting minimum staffing ratios and wage requirements; requiring long-term care facilities to create policies to prevent social isolation among residents; raising Medicaid reimbursement rates at those facilities; improving response coordination, and sets robust data reporting procedures.
NJDOH also has established a Long-Term Care Emergency Operations Center, which works to distribute PPE and other materials as needed, and the Office of Long-Term Care Resiliency, which provides support and resources to facilities to improve the quality of care and services for their residents of long-term care facilities.
In addition to the new dashboard for nursing homes, NJDOH maintains other public-facing dashboards providing information on the state’s long-term care facilities and informing data-driven decisions, including a dashboard on COVID-19 vaccination coverage among residents and staff, as well as a dashboard on covid19.nj.gov that provides updates on COVID-19 cases and outbreaks at all facilities.