The Department of Public Health surveys all certified long term care facilities every year to assure patient health and safety. These inspections assess whether the nursing home meets certain "minimum" standards. If a nursing home has no deficiencies, it means that it met the minimum standards at the time of the inspection. During the last six years 100% of certified facilities have been surveyed at the required frequency. The standard survey process is resident-centered, outcome-oriented inspections that rely on a sample of residents to gather information about the facility's compliance with participation requirements. Outcomes include both actual and potential negative outcomes, as well as failure of a facility to help residents achieve their highest practicable level of well-being. 

*Data is updated annually. Next update will be January of 2024. 

Facility Licensing and Investigation staff includes licensed registered nurses and building and fire safety inspectors who conduct the surveys and investigations.

Department of Public Health staff includes but is not limited to the Commissioner’s Office, Practitioner licensing staff, legal office and epidemiology.

Department of Consumer Protection (Drug Control)

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services provides the survey protocol (State Operations Manual) for staff conducting surveys as well as enforcement remedies.

Connecticut Long Term Care Ombudsman Program protects and promotes the rights and quality of life for residents of skilled nursing facilities.

Leading Age Connecticut and Connecticut Association for Health Care Facilities are associations dedicated to advancing the quality of services and care for older adults and chronically ill individuals in the setting of their choice by leading, educating, representing, advocating and servicing its members who are mission-driven, not-for-profit providers representing the continuum.

Connecticut Hospital Association advances the health of individuals and communities by leading, representing, and serving hospitals and healthcare providers across the continuum of care that are accountable to the community and committed to health improvement.

Quality Improvement Organization may be contracted with facilities to work on quality improvement projects to improve patient care and therefore decreasing the number of deficiencies.

Other methods include:

• Quarterly meetings with provider associations to explain regulatory updates
• Education with key staff members within facilities to discuss state & federal protocols
• Annual conference for providers and DPH surveyors to discuss regulatory updates, statewide improvement projects/trends and education
• Communication with all facilities when significant issues or emergencies arise

Ensuring 100% of certified healthcare facilities are inspected on a yearly basis maintains compliance with CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services) regulations.

DPH provides annual inspections to assess whether the nursing home meets certain "minimum" standards. If a nursing home has no deficiencies, it means that it met the minimum standards at the time of the inspection.

DPH maintains communication with partners on a regular basis to provide interpretative guidance to revised regulations and review current trends found during the survey process.