Executive Summary

The Florida Health Care Association has spent decades working with its members and residents to provide the highest quality care for Florida’s large aging population. This deep-rooted commitment is evident through the growth and quality improvements made in recent years by long term care centers in Florida.

From 2014 to 2018, Florida jumped from 16th in the nation into the Top Ten, currently earning its place as 7th best in terms of the four national rating and award indicators used by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to assess states’ overall quality care performance. FHCA aims not only to provide long term care residents with a better quality of life compared to the rest of the country but to create internal advancements through an emphasis on self-improvement.

The Quality Care Report was conducted in order to track and asses the improvements being made by long term care centers in Florida and to pinpoint areas where further development is warranted. Data came from CMS’ Nursing Home Compare website data, supplemented by the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL).

Digging deep into four major indicators that define the quality of care provided by long term care centers, the report uses a variety of data sources including:

  • Short-Stay Residents: CMS ‘StateAverages’
  • Long-Stay Residents: CMS ‘StateAverages’
  • Staffing: CMS ‘StateAverages’ and state regulations provided by the University of Minnesota
  • Ratings and Awards: CMS ‘ProviderInfo’ and AHCA/NCAL awards listings

All 50 states and Washington, DC were ranked on each indicator, with a ranking of 1 being the most desirable and 51 being the least.

The four quality care indicators analyzed in this report include:

Short-Stay Residents

Short-stay residents are defined as those who spent 100 days or less in a long term care center. During this time, residents can request rehabilitation for injury or illness or seek additional assistance unavailable in their homes. Though their stay is temporary, long term care centers are able to provide a lasting beneficial impact. 

Long-Stay Residents

Spending over 100 days in long term care centers, long-stay residents experience an extended term of care. Since they are under the care of long term care centers for a longer period of time, it is essential that they receive the appropriate attention they require.

Staffing

The staffing levels of long term care centers can indicate the amount of attention and resources that residents receive. As one of the nation’s most resident-friendly states, Florida long term care centers offer a diverse clinical staff to ensure that every need is met. Registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, and certified nursing assistants, alongside other staff members, care for residents and make sure their stay is comfortable.

Ratings & Awards

Consistently receiving awards for its work in long term care, Florida is well recognized in the profession. CMS rates centers on a scale of one to five stars in three categories – Health Inspections, Staffing, and Quality Measures – and publishes the findings in Nursing Home Compare. Alongside the recognition centers receive from the AHCA/NCAL awards, this rating system gives an overview of not just the consistency, but also the improvement, in the quality of Florida’s long term care centers.

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