Utah climbed into the top nursing homes states reports Families for Better Care, a national nursing home resident advocacy group based in Austin. The group published its third state-by-state nursing home report card by analyzing eight federal measures to gauge nursing home quality.
Utah’s nursing home ranking was buoyed by scoring superior grades in 3 of 8 statistical measures and above average grades in all but two categories.
“Utahans should be proud of their continued nursing home success,” said Brian Lee, Families for Better Care’s executive director. “The Beehive State’s ability to maintain its top 10 nursing home ranking exemplifies what can be achieved when operators, regulators, and consumers strive for nursing home quality."
According to the report card, Utah’s ranking was bolstered by grade improvements in two measures, the percentage of nursing homes with above average direct care staffing and the percentage of nursing homes with above average inspections, increasing from a “C” to a “B” and from an “F” to a “B” respectively.
Despite Utah’s strong showing the report exposed some trouble spots that need attention.
“The number of nursing homes with severe deficiencies skyrocketed more than 50 percent while reports to ombudsmen surged to the state’s highest level,” Lee said. “If Utah maintains its commitment to high staffing levels, future nursing home quality is almost certain.”
Utah’s 2019 Nursing Home Report Card is available for download at http://www.nursinghomereportcards.com.
ABOUT FAMILIES FOR BETTER CARE
Families for Better Care, Inc. is a non-profit citizen advocacy group dedicated to creating public awareness of the conditions in our nation’s nursing homes and developing solutions for improving quality of life and care. For more information, visit http://familiesforbettercare.com.
