LeadingAge New York has made recommendations to the Department of Health (DOH) aimed at improving the nursing home survey process.

LeadingAge NY has developed sample letters to inform residents, families, and the community of staffing challenges.

DOH is taking meaningful steps to improve the nursing home survey process, following a series of recommendations by LeadingAge NY and its members. These improvements aim to foster a more consistent, transparent, and accurate approach to regulatory surveillance, ultimately supporting better care and quality of life for residents.

The goal of the initiative is to ensure that both surveyors and facility staff understand regulatory expectations; that the survey process is fair, accurate, and consistent across regions; and that surveys support improved quality of care.

The issue of workplace violence in health care settings is becoming an area of focus for policymakers in both DOH and the Legislature.

The Governor extended the health care staffing emergency, but lifted the freeze on enforcement of nursing home staffing mandates. As a result, certain staffing flexibilities were continued, but nurse and aide minimum staffing levels took effect on April 1^st. LeadingAge NY is providing members with resources to respond to the requirements.