Rhode Island Nursing Home Ombudsman: Facility Guide
Nursing homes in the U.S. must abide by specific rules and regulations to protect patient safety. Each state is required to fund an advocacy and oversight program to ensure that care is provided according to these standards. In Rhode Island, the individual that serves this program is known as a Rhode Island nursing home ombudsman.
State nursing home ombudsmen, formally known as long-term care ombudsmen, serve as mediators between healthcare staff, patients, and their family members. They distribute healthcare resources and connect individuals with state services to ensure they get the dignity and respect they deserve.
What is the RI ombudsman program, and how does ombudsman involvement impact facilities? In this guide, we’ll introduce the state’s advocacy program, review the duties of health ombudsmen, and provide tips for facilities looking to collaborate with their state ombudsman to optimize care quality and patient satisfaction.
What Is the Rhode Island Nursing Home Ombudsman Program?
The U.S. federal government established the Older Americans Act (OAA) to help seniors gain access to community services like hot meals, transportation assistance, and healthcare services. The Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program (LTCOP), funded under the OAA, specifically protects the rights of elderly individuals living in healthcare facilities.
As part of this initiative, each state is required to create an oversight and advocacy program to serve patients living in:
- Nursing homes
- Hospice centers
- Adult day care
- Long-term rehabilitation centers
- Assisted living
Rhode Island ombudsmen officials aren’t licensed providers and don’t provide direct patient care. Instead, they form partnerships with healthcare administrators, patients, and their families to identify care concerns and improve quality of life in facilities across the state.
What Does a Rhode Island Ombudsman Do?
Rhode Island ombudsmen prioritize patient needs above all else. They aren’t employed by healthcare facilities and don’t report directly to any government agencies. Instead, Rhode Island nursing home ombudsman representatives serve patients by:
- Educating them, their families, and care teams about the services and resources available to them.
- Assisting with complaints like abuse, neglect, improper discharge planning, quality and choice of food, and poor medication distribution.
- Helping patients and their family members access the RI nursing home list and find a facility that meets their care needs.
- Inspecting facilities and alerting facility administrators of any environmental or caregiving deficiencies.
- Serving as a liaison for patients and their families to address grievances and identify possible solutions.
- Providing information on legal rights and policy changes to patients and facilities, and suggesting changes to governmental agencies when appropriate.
- Advocating for change at the government level to improve each individual’s care.
How Can Individuals Contact a State Ombudsman?
Sharing Rhode Island ombudsman contact information can build trust and help everyone feel like they’re part of the same team. Be sure to post the following contact details around your facility and on your healthcare website. Encourage staff, patients, and their families to reach out directly with any questions or concerns.
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| State Ombudsman Phone Number: | (401) 785-3340 |
| State Ombudsman Mailing Address: | Office of Healthy Aging
25 Howard Ave, Building 57 Cranston, RI 02920 |
| State Ombudsman Online Contact Form: | https://alliancebltc.org/ombudsman-program/contact/ |
| State Ombudsman Website: | https://alliancebltc.org/ombudsman-program/overview/ |
How Can Facilities Prepare for Visits From a Health Ombudsman?
RI ombudsmen are required to visit every care facility in the state annually to inspect cleanliness, comfort, and clinical quality. They also make on-site assessments after complaints have been made and work with stakeholders to resolve issues fairly and quickly.
Healthcare providers may fear these visits and inappropriately assume that ombudsmen are looking to fine or penalize facilities that don’t meet state benchmarks. It’s important to remind these caregivers that, with proper planning, ombudsman visits can help everyone, including facility staff. Their involvement can take administrative tasks off of the hands of direct care providers, alleviating job stress, exhaustion, and burnout.
How can your team prepare for these visits and make the most out of your time with your Rhode Island nursing home ombudsman? Here are three strategies to help you get started:
- Educate all parties. Provide staff training on the state’s long-term care ombudsman program, and host educational sessions to share program offerings and services to patients and their family members. Distribute ombudsman brochures to newly admitted patients and post informational posters on bulletin boards and in common areas.
- Be proactive with improvement efforts. Establish shared governance committees to ensure your facility offers the best evidence-based treatments possible. Staying on top of care quality can keep issues from arising later down the line.
- Respond to care concerns promptly. If an ombudsman representative does find an issue at your facility, be sure not to get critical or defensive. Listening to what they have to say and making efforts to rectify the problem can improve health outcomes, boost patient loyalty, and improve staff satisfaction.
Looking for More Ways to Ensure Compliance?
Partnering with a Rhode Island nursing home ombudsman is just one way to keep your team performing at the top of their game. Our free newsletter provides facilities with additional tips and resources for optimizing care quality, patient satisfaction, and health outcomes.