Across the United States, regulators are adopting the use of a survey tool called CoreQ. This survey was specifically designed with skilled nursing facilities and assisted living communities in mind. Developed by Nicholas Castle, Ph.D., and the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living, the tool measures customer satisfaction in short-stay and long-term care populations.
The CoreQ survey has been independently tested and validated, with the results being shown as reliable. The tool itself is very short, comprising three to four questions. For these reasons and several more, States are looking to CoreQ as an additional measurement in evaluating the quality of care being delivered by senior living organizations. Just in the last year, the State of Oregon has begun requiring the CoreQ survey to be administered yearly to skilled nursing and assisted living residents. Legislators are closely watching the outcomes experienced by requiring CoreQ, with the intent of deciding if such a regulation should be put into place in their State.
Being a certified CoreQ provider, our team here at Holleran often gets asked about the pros and cons of CoreQ. Whether you are choosing to voluntarily use CoreQ in your community, or you are complying with regulations, it helps to be informed about what you can expect from a CoreQ survey.
The Good:
CoreQ is a short, easy to administer, and completely validated way measure satisfaction.
The Bad:
CoreQ is only designed for Short-Stay Skilled Nursing Residents (including discharge), Long-Term Skilled Nursing Residents (and their families), and Assisted Living Residents (and their families.) The survey is not designed for dementia or hospice residents, or individuals with court-appointed guardians. There are additional limitations on when the survey can be administered based on how long a resident has been living at a community.
The Ugly:
The CoreQ tool is not customizable and must be used exactly as provided. CoreQ isn’t designed to provide your community with individualized reporting or real-time results. All survey results are uploaded into the CoreQ LTC Trend Tracker, where providers can then access them to see their scores. The results are designed to demonstrate the satisfaction of those surveyed, but they do not provide any guidance for improving your scores.
If you are looking for a short, easy to administer satisfaction survey for residents with higher levels of acuity, CoreQ might be a great choice for you. If, however, you’re looking for more specific measurements, like satisfaction for services and amenities, CoreQ might not be the best option.