The Florida Health Care Association (FHCA) today announced the launch of its Long Term Care Quality Dashboard, a helpful resource reflecting the association’s commitment to accurately and transparently sharing data about the quality care being delivered in Florida’s nursing centers.
“Our association is committed to providing information and resources to our members, key stakeholders, and the public across the state to help Florida remain a leader in ensuring high-quality care for its seniors and people with disabilities,” said FHCA CEO Emmett Reed. “This website makes key data and information readily available and will serve as an innovative tool to help visitors understand how quality is measured and what providers are doing to make these advancements.”
When visitors first go to the dashboard, the displayed data will include overarching statistics such as the number of nursing centers in Florida, how many Floridians are served by long term care facilities, and the percentage of nursing care centers with quality recognitions – for example, that currently 75% of Florida’s nursing centers have received recognition for providing quality care.
The website features other key care metrics such as nursing turnover, hours per day for resident nursing care, and five-star evaluation data. It also includes quarterly data on key resident care and safety measures, including the percentages of long stay residents who need assistance with daily activities, are experiencing urinary tract infections, or are receiving antipsychotics.
In each of these measures and several others, Florida’s metrics demonstrate better care outcomes than the national average. For example, Florida ranks in the top 15 states with 4- and 5-star rated facilities from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, with over 65% of nursing centers achieving this level of star rating. Florida is also a top 10 state for having more residents who have increased their independence in completing activities of daily living and in reducing falls.
“These ongoing strides in quality care in our state’s nursing centers are happening despite historic workforce challenges and limited resources,” Reed continued. “Our dedicated caregivers are focused on initiatives designed to improve resident outcomes, but there’s no question we need policymakers to recognize that investing in our care centers will help them enhance their services and incentivize the next generation of health care workers to choose a career in long term care. FHCA and our members are committed to being part of the solution, to ensure that Florida remains a leader in giving our nursing center residents the quality care they expect and need.”
The data was provided in partnership with Zimmet Healthcare Services Group and eCapIntel, which provide performance analytics and other services to the skilled nursing community. For more information about the long term care quality dashboard, visit www.qualitycaredashboard.org.
