The Oakland-based California HealthCare Foundation has launched a new service for consumers: the California Nursing Home Search. This web-based service allows consumers to compare the 1,400+ nursing homes in the state on a number of quality criteria, including the ratio of staff to patients and the number of complaints a particular facility has received. 

The service was announced in October when the Foundation released a study showing that 44% of the 1,212 California facilities surveyed do not meet minimum state requirements for staffing levels. Earlier this year, a federal study prepared by General Accounting Office indicated that staffing levels are the number one predictor of the quality of nursing home care. 

The search service allows consumers to view information on the state’s nursing homes as well as to locate facilities within a specific area. The data include key indicators of quality and cost for each nursing home in the state (excluding some specialized facilities), as well as the number of patients in the facility, types of payment accepted, and more. 

Go to www.calnhs.org

November 2002