DRS/DAL: # 09-02: Weekly Bed Census Data Survey

April 1, 2009

DRS/DAL: # 09-02:
Weekly Bed Census Data Survey

Dear Long Term Care Facility Administrator:

Effective April 8, 2009, the Division of Residential Services will require electronic filing of your facility's licensed nursing home beds and availability by bed category on a weekly basis. The "Weekly Bed Census Data" survey will be available on the Department's Health Provider Network (HPN), and will provide the following benefits:

  • Improve the coordination of the discharge and admission of nursing home residents in the event of a closure or emergency within your community; and
  • Reduce phone calls from the Department to facilities regarding bed availability information.

The "Weekly Bed Census Data" survey must be submitted via the HPN on a weekly basis by a facility staff person assigned a Nursing Home Data Reporter role within the Communications Directory. The Department encourages facilities to have their HPN Coordinator designate multiple Data Reporters to ensure that the survey is submitted to the Department in a timely manner.

Facilities should report nursing home bed information according to the weekly Wednesday morning census. The facility designated Data Reporter should enter and submit the "Weekly Bed Census Data" survey between Wednesday 8:00 a.m. and Friday 5:00 p.m. of each week to help ensure that the Department has accurate bed availability information.

Instructions regarding the survey are included with this letter. If there are any additional questions regarding the survey please send them to Virginia Dolins at nhinfo@health.state.ny.us. Thank you for your cooperation with the survey implementation.

Sincerely,

Jacqueline Pappalardi, Director
Division of Residential Services
Office of Long Term Care