The Maryland Health Care Commission (MHCC) contracted MDR to conduct the 2024 Maryland Nursing Home Family Experience of Care Survey. This statewide initiative, which has been conducted regularly since 2005, evaluates the quality of care provided in Medicaid-certified nursing homes from the perspective of family members and responsible parties of long-term residents. The survey supports transparency, consumer decision-making, and quality improvement efforts across Maryland’s long-term care system.
MDR implemented a comprehensive mixed-mode data collection strategy to maximize participation and ensure representation across all 217 eligible nursing facilities. The sample included 17,971 family members of residents with stays of 100 days or longer as of October 1, 2024. Initial outreach began in October with email invitations and mailed letters containing online survey access codes. Non-responders received paper surveys in November and reminder letters in December. Targeted telephone follow-ups were conducted through January 2025 for facilities with response rates below 50%. In total, 5,101 surveys were returned, with 4,936 considered complete, yielding a 34% response rate.
The survey instrument included 31 core questions across seven domains: Staff and Administration, Care Provided to Residents, Food and Meals, Autonomy and Resident Rights, Physical Aspects of the Nursing Home, Activities, and Security and Resident’s Personal Rights. Two overall satisfaction measures—a 1–10 rating of care and a recommendation question—were also included, along with an open-ended feedback item. Domain scores were calculated on a 1–4 scale, with higher scores indicating greater satisfaction.
MDR provided MHCC with a full suite of deliverables including a statewide report, facility-level results, peer group comparisons, and statistical significance testing. The report included trending data from 2020 to 2024 and thematic coding of open-ended responses. Results were stratified by region, ownership type, facility size, and payment source, and are publicly available on MHCC’s Maryland Quality Reporting website.
This project stands out for its robust methodology, longitudinal tracking, and public accessibility of results. The inclusion of open-ended feedback and peer group comparisons enhances the utility of the data for stakeholders across Maryland’s long-term care landscape. MDR’s work continues to support MHCC’s commitment to improving care quality and empowering families with meaningful, actionable information.
