For example, providers and regulators in Massachusetts very recently announced an initiative that will allow consumers to access a report card on the state's nursing homes through the Internet. This report card system is easy to understand and helps consumers in the very important process of facility selection. We believe an approach like this, one that provides consumers with a more informed choice, also improves the system. It's rooted in the belief that we must be able to understand which care practices result in clinical improvement and, importantly, customer satisfaction. We have created a software package that allows facilities to collect data on their patients and monitor quality continuously.
Facilities can even compare their efforts to other facilities in the field.
To put it simply, our system creates an early warning system for facilities to step up quality efforts to protect residents and improve care. We don't need standards that measure minutia. What I am arguing for here is refocusing what we measure when we evaluate the quality of nursing home care. At present, a nursing home in which someone has left a stack of canned vegetables on the kitchen floor, can be listed for a violation. The danger in this kind of book-keeping standard is that it can make nursing homes that do a good job caring for residents appear to be bad.