There are more than 300 standards that nursing homes strive to reach. Each year, state officials show up unannounced to check that each nursing home is meeting every last one.
Southwestern Vermont Health Care’s Centers for Living and Rehabilitation (CLR) is proud to announce that they have received the best possible rating, deficiency-free, on their 2014 survey.
[private]“This is a major accomplishment. Fewer than 15 percent of skilled nursing facilities statewide are able to receive so high a rating,” said Suzanne Anair, CLR’s administrator.
A deficiency-free survey is confirmation for residents and for those looking for a skilled nursing facility that CLR is in compliance with all of the regulations. Surveys are a part of participation in Medicare and Medicaid. A good survey is also a measure of the quality of care residents receive.
Four surveyors from the Vermont Department of Disabilities, Aging, and Independent Living worked to review CLR’s programs and services over three days in November. The review was rigorous.
They evaluated every aspect of the facility for quality and safety. They looked at administration, cleanliness, nursing care, activity programming, protection of resident rights, and food service.
They spoke with current residents and residents’ family members, interviewed staff, reviewed the record-keeping practices for current and discharged residents, and observed all of the programs and services offered.
“We do think about the standards. Meeting them requires incredible dedication from our team. We check and recheck everything we do,” Anair said. “But our philosophy relies on taking the best possible care of residents. We feel that if we do that, the recognition falls into place.”
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