Department of Aging
Loveland, Ohio – The Ohio Department of Aging (ODA) Director Ursel J. McElroy has announced the launch of the Ohio Nursing Home Quality Navigator – a new online tool providing users information about nursing homes across the state in one digital location.
A recommendation of the Governor’s Nursing Home Quality & Accountability Task Force, the Navigator includes a searchable map of all active nursing homes in Ohio with care quality metrics, facility comparison functionality, and other features, such as staffing ratios, specialty services offered, and the number of health and safety violations a nursing home received. The tool is designed to empower Ohioans when considering a nursing home for themselves or a loved one.
Director McElroy, who also served as chair of the Task Force said, “It is our hope that, in addition to providing increased transparency and convenience to Ohioans, the new online Navigator will also incentivize nursing homes to continue reaching higher to deliver the very best quality of care and quality of life possible to the benefit of our state’s nursing home residents and those who love and care for them.”
The Ohio Nursing Home Quality Navigator is available through the Department of Aging’s website at https://aging.ohio.gov/navigator.
The Navigator offers both mobile and desktop/tablet versions to provide a seamless user-centered experience.
The Navigator allows Ohioans to find nursing homes in their area by searching for their zip code or city name. Entering one of these types of search terms will generate a map of that area and highlight the nursing homes within a range of anywhere from five to 100 miles. Ohioans can then see a list of those nursing homes and select one for further details about that facility.
Ohioans can also pull up information about a specific nursing home they may be interested in if they already know its name, skipping the search and map steps.
Data available for each facility includes its number of beds, its Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Five-Star Quality Rating, resident and family satisfaction survey scores, staffing data, and other information provided by the facility, such as whether it allows pets, alcohol, or smoking, any religious affiliation, and what special care services it might offer.
The Navigator also provides each nursing home’s phone number and website and includes an instant share feature allowing users to text or email facility contact information to their loved ones with the click of a button.
The Navigator also allows for a direct comparison between nursing homes, with users being able to select up to two facilities (mobile version) or up to three facilities (desktop/tablet version) and compare their information side-by-side.
Further resources about nursing homes are also readily available from the Navigator’s main page.
