The State of Minnesota is conducting annual resident quality of life and family satisfaction surveys in assisted living communities across the state starting in January and lasting most of the year.

Assisted living communities with an assisted living license through the Minnesota Department of Health and a capacity to serve five or more residents will be required to participate if contacted by the contracted research firm, Vital Research. This includes residents who are living independently without services.

For the 2024 round of data collection, all assisted living providers licensed as of Sept. 6, 2023, and with a capacity to serve five or more residents will be invited to participate.

Survey details

• Surveys will be conducted in one region of the state at a time. The first region (tier 1) to be surveyed includes roughly 200 AL settings across northeast and northwest Minnesota. Surveys in this region will take place from January through March.
• On Dec. 15, 2023, the Department of Human Services (DHS) plans to send the notification letter to all providers in Tier 1. The letter will include timelines for the process and for provider responsibilities.
• Assisted living residents are randomly selected to participate in the resident survey, regardless of the level of care they receive.
• Residents (and guardians, where applicable) are informed of these surveys ahead of time and given the opportunity to decline participation. Providers in Tier 1 are encouraged to begin updating the addresses and phone numbers of resident representatives to be provided to Vital Research.
• For residents who are invited and choose to participate, interviewers are trained to end the interview with the resident if they are unable to answer four questions in a row.

Two changes to the process occurred last legislative session:

• Participation is no longer optional – it is required of licensed providers with a capacity of 5 or more.
• Summary demographic information shall be provided if the provider has collected it, including age, race, ethnicity, and gender identity.

Providers must furnish the summary data only if the data on individuals is available, and they are not required to collect any demographic data from residents for the sole purpose of providing the information related to this survey process. If, however, the data is provided, the provider must give notice to residents and their representatives that their demographic information was included in the summary data provided to the commissioner.

Survey results used for Assisted Living Report Card

The survey results will be used to determine star ratings and quality measure scores for the assisted living community, which will be shared on a public Assisted Living Report Card website. In addition to the public ratings, assisted living communities that achieve a minimum number of survey responses, as determined by the DHS Institutional Review Board, will receive an individualized report with their survey results through email and some points of reference to compare their results to statewide results. The State will also share a statewide summary of the survey results through a public report.

Launch delayed

This week, LeadingAge MN was informed that the anticipated launch of the Assisted Living Report Card has been delayed due to technical issues. The public launch of the report card is expected to occur in early 2024.