The New York State Department of Health launched its new nursing home, home care, and hospice profiles within the NYS Health Profiles Website on Friday (September 25th). The New York State Health Profiles (http://profiles.health.ny.gov), which is maintained within the State Health Department’s public website, is a consumer-oriented portal providing centralized access to health care information in four areas: hospitals; nursing homes; home health agencies and hospice programs; and doctors. Users can view details about the quality of care and inspections at health facilities and compare them to national and statewide averages. This information can help inform consumers’ health care decisions.
Changes to the Health Profiles represent a significant enhancement of the existing website. Key improvements in the redesign include: centralized access to all profiles in a single, easily accessible location; modernized access using updated technology; and improved usability for consumers, including an ability to search for and compare quality measures across facilities in a given region. The launch of phase one of the project, in September 2014, included the fully redesigned hospital profile, enabling consumers to search for hospitals and clinics by county or region, service, designation (i.e., perinatal, trauma, stroke centers), and more. Phase two launched last Friday (September 25th) and included the modernizing of nursing homes, home health agencies and hospice programs sections of the Health Profiles portal, making it easier for consumers to find quality and safety information on New York’s hospitals, nursing homes, home care agencies, and hospices.