Glossary of Terms
1.) Location: The address of the nursing home. Neighborhood information has been included for your convenience.
2.) Website: The facility’s website address, if available. The “parent company” website address has been provided for some facilities that are owned/operated by another organization, but don’t have their own individual website.
3.) DPH Score: The Massachusetts Department of Public Health performance score based on their annual inspections (also referred to as "surveys").
Scores for facilities on BostonNursingHomeRankings.com range from 132 to 100.
A score of 132 = perfect score (meaning that the facility is in full compliance with
state and federal regulations). Getting a "perfect" score is very difficult and this means that the nursing home is performing at a very
high level.
4.) Bonus Quality Points: Bonus quality points refer to extra points given to a nursing home based on analyzing the several factors that contribute to
nursing home quality: staffing hours (Certified Nursing Assistants/CNAs and Licensed Nurses); ownership characteristics
(whether a facility is a chain or individually owned; whether it's a non-profit or for-profit organization); and
complaints investigated by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
The maximum number of Bonus Quality Points a nursing and rehab facility can be given is 100 points.
Getting any bonus points is a good thing and of course, the higher the bonus points, the better!
See our methodology page for more details.
5.) Customer Satisfaction Score: The Customer Satisfaction score reflects the results of a consumer survey, conducted by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, indicating overall satisfaction
levels with nursing homes. The survey asked about how satisfied family members were in the following categories: staff and administration,
physical aspects of the home, activities provided to residents, personal care, food and meals and residents’ personal rights.
Respondents rated their satisfaction on a scale from 1-5:
These customer satisfaction surveys are conducted every 2 years. This data is not available for all nursing homes. 6.) Number of Beds: the number of Medicare or Medicaid certified beds. “Certified” means that they have met the requirements of Medicare and/or Medicaid. Please note that some facilities can have a combination of certified and private pay beds.
7.) Long-Term Care: A “yes” or “no” indicates whether or not the facility provides long-term convalescent care (also known as “custodial care”).
8.) Short-Term Rehab: A “yes” or “no” indicates whether or not the facility provides short-term rehabilitation.
9.) Complaints: a "Yes" value means that facility was cited for a deficiency related to a complaint/serious incident (data supplied by the Massachusetts
Dep't of Public Health). Note: many facilities may receive complaints/allegations of serious incidents, but facilities are
only cited (given a “yes” value) if an investigation determines actual wrong-doing (e.g., investigation of allegation found that abuse or negligence occurred).
If a facility did not receive serious complaints or the outcome of an investigation found the complaint invalid, then a “no” value is given.
It's important to recognize that all nursing homes aren't perfect. Approximately 40% of nursing homes in our sample received valid complaints,
despite their best efforts at providing quality care. When evaluating nursing homes, complaints in general are a significant factor to consider. But, how
the facility responded to correct the problem is equally important. What plan of action did they put in place to prevent it from happening again?
Was the problem an isolated incident or recurring one? How much harm (or potential harm) did it cause? These are all good questions to ask when
researching a nursing home.
More detailed information on complaints/deficiencies given to specific nursing homes can be found at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and Medicare websites.
10.) Type of Ownership: indicates whether the facility is a non-profit or for-profit organization, and if it has a religious affiliation, this is indicated by
noting “church-related.” While every nursing facility is unique and should be judged accordingly, this information has been captured because the ownership
structure can sometimes have an impact on the type and quality of services provided. For example, some people would argue that a non-profit facility is
going to have a different distinguishing character because it’s less concerned with making a profit on their services. 11.) Chain: A "Yes" value indicates that the facility is part of a chain, meaning that it has two or more homes under single ownership or operation. A "No" value means that the nursing home is
independently owned and operated.
12.) CNA Hours Per Resident Per Day: This refers to the average daily hours and minutes worked by the CNAs (certified nursing assistants) in the home specified, divided by the number of
residents in that facility.
13.) Nursing Hours Per Resident Per Day: This refers to the average daily hours and minutes worked by the Licensed Nursing staff, divided by the number of residents in that particular
nursing and rehab facility. The "licensed nursing staff"
consists of RNs (Registerd Nurses), LPNs (Licensed Practical Nurses) and LVNs (Licenensed Vocational Nurses).
14.) Useful Info: additional information that may be helpful when choosing and evaluating a facility, including special services provided.
Short-term rehab is for times when a person needs inpatient rehab after a hospital stay, with the plan to return home
once they get their strength and ability to live independently back. Inpatient rehab is often required for things like
recovery from surgeries, such as a knee replacement, hip replacement or heart surgery. Sometimes inpatient rehab is needed when recovering from
illnesses like pneumonia or the flu, as these can often take a toll on patients, especially if they are elderly.
Short-term rehab is typically covered by Medicare for up to 100 days. To qualify, an individual must have at least a 3-night stay at a
hospital prior to entering the nursing facility. Sometimes, elderly patients first enter a facility for short-term rehab and then
realize they will need to stay long-term due to safety and health concerns.
There are pros and cons to whether a nursing home is part of a chain or not. On the pros side, if a home is
part of a chain, this may give them access to greater resources and stability, by being part of a large network. On the flip side, some would argue
that the ethos of nursing homes that are part of chains is less personalized, as the leadership typically isn't local and involved in the day to
day operations in the same way a family run or single ownership home may be.
According to Medicare, "CNAs work under the direction of a licensed nurse to assist residents with activities of
daily living, i.e., eating, grooming, hygiene, dressing, transferring, and toileting. All full time CNAs must have completed a competency evaluation
program or nurse assistant training within 4 months of their permanent employment. They must also pursue continuing education each year."
The actual amount of care each resident receives will vary, depending on their individual needs. These averages, however, do provide
some reflection on staffing ratios, which can impact quality of care. These values are particularly important to take into consideration because CNAs
provide the most direct care to residents. The higher the average, the better!
Staffing hours data is supplied by Medicare. BostonNursingHomeRankings.com does its best to update this data, but for the most current numbers,
check out the Medicare Nursing Home Compare tool.
According to Medicare, "by law, RNs must assess nursing home residents' needs. RNs and LPNs/LVNs work together to plan care, implement care and treatment,
and evaluate residents' outcomes. Nurses must be licensed in the state. Registered nurses (RNs) have between 2 and 6 years of education.
Licensed practical and vocational nurses (LPNs/LVNs) generally have 1 year of training."
The actual amount of care each resident receives will vary, depending on their individual needs. These averages, however,
do provide some reflection on staffing ratios, which can impact quality of care. The higher the average, the better!
Staffing hours data is supplied by Medicare. BostonNursingHomeRankings.com does its best to update this data, but for the most current numbers,
check out the Medicare Nursing Home Compare tool.