LINCOLN, Neb., April 24, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to a new study conducted by National Research Corporation, an organization that analyzes healthcare performance data in the United States and Canada, 90 percent of families surveyed rated the Georgia nursing home, where their loved one was receiving care, as either excellent or good in 2014. In addition, 89 percent of residents gave high marks to the care they received at the skilled nursing care center where they lived. In advance of National Nursing Home Week, celebrated May 10-16, National Research is making this announcement to recognize providers that are dedicated to pursuing excellence. Georgia nursing homes overall exceed national rates of satisfaction among their customers, especially steadily increasing numbers of residents and families who rate their experience at the excellent level. Georgia holds the unique distinction of having the longest-running record—12 years—of regular satisfaction measurement for residents, families, and employees of nursing homes in the nation. "National Research applauds Georgia providers for another year of strong performance based on the recognition that data can enable them to deliver high-quality customer-centric healthcare options," said Rich Kortum, director of strategic partnerships for National Research. "The GHCA's decision to embrace the use of these tools 12 years ago has enabled them to exceed national performance goals yet again and perform in a way that providers in other states want to emulate." "All across Georgia, members of the Georgia Health Care Association are committed to providing their residents with excellent care and do so by putting residents and families first," said Bill Davis, chair of the board of directors of the Georgia Health Care Association. "Skilled nursing care centers are more than just a building," continued Davis. "They are the dedicated professionals—working in everything from housekeeping to dietary to activities to therapy—who work right alongside families to make a difference in the lives of the frail, elderly, and disabled citizens of Georgia. We are proud to be recognized for our association-wide commitment to excellence." The high satisfaction rate statistic for 2014 is in alignment with the national Quality Initiative goals issued by the national association of the Georgia Health Care Association, the American Health Care Association (AHCA). One provision in the Quality Initiative aims to increase customer satisfaction in the "willingness to recommend" category to 90 percent by March 2015. Through their dedicated efforts, Georgia providers met the national goal ahead of schedule. My InnerView by National Research Corporation is a system of satisfaction and quality measurement surveys and performance improvement tools. More than 95 percent of the state's nursing homes participate in the program. Several other states have looked to this innovative model as a guide to developing new strategies for performance measurement and Medicaid value-based purchasing. In 2007, the state's quality program, a "value-based" purchasing program, began using My InnerView satisfaction surveys and workforce data from National Research in combination with clinical outcomes results from National Research and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) as the basis for awarding small additional payments to facilities that meet pre-determined performance targets. A point scoring system calculates these data to determine eligibility for quarterly incentives. The program plays a small but important role in Medicaid reimbursement in the state of Georgia, applying a positive influence with minimal additional expense to the Medicaid program. Over the 12 years of the program, measureable improvements have been documented in virtually all of the clinical, workforce, and satisfaction indices that make up the initiative. To find a skilled nursing care facility near you visit the Resources page of www.GHCA.info or www.Facebook.com/GHCA.info . About National Research Corporation
For more than 30 years, National Corporation (NASDAQ: NRCIA and NRCIB) has been at the forefront of patient-centered care. Today's the company's focus on empowering customer-centric healthcare across the continuum, which extends patient-centered care to incorporate families, communities, employees, senior housing residents, and other stakeholders. Currently recognized by Modern Healthcare as one of the largest patient satisfaction measurement firms in the U.S., National Research is dedicated to representing the true voice of patients and other healthcare stakeholders. This integration of cross-continuum metrics and analytics uncovers insights for effective performance improvement, quality measurement, care transitions, and many other factors that impact population health management. For more information, call 800-388-4264, write to info@nationalresearch.com, or visit www.nationalresearch.com . About Georgia Health Care Association
Founded in 1953, the Georgia Health Care Association is a not-for-profit organization representing long-term and post-acute care providers located throughout the state of Georgia. The association is dedicated to enhancing the ability of providers to provide competent and compassionate care and advocates for quality care and services for frail, elderly and disabled Georgians. GHCA's more than 350 members serve more than 58,000 individuals annually. For more information visit: www.GHCA.info . A photo accompanying this release is available at: http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=32376
Scott Smith Director of Marketing National Research Corporation 800-388-4264 Dan Curran for GHCA 770-658-9586
