The Ohio Department of Aging (ODA) regularly conducts the Ohio Resident Satisfaction Survey (RSS) and Family Satisfaction Survey (FSS) to help guide quality improvements in Ohio’s long-term care facilities. All Ohio nursing facilities and residential care facilities are required to participate. ODA contracts with Vital Research to administer the resident surveys and Scripps Gerontology Center at Miami University to administer the family surveys. Both Vital Research and Scripps Gerontology Center work collaboratively with ODA throughout the survey project cycle.

Vital Research

ODA contracts with Vital Research, an independent survey firm, to conduct the resident surveys and ensure the confidentiality of all resident responses. Vital Research’s responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Training interviewers
• Scheduling resident interviews
• Receiving and processing facility census lists
• Conducting quality assurance monitoring visits with interviewers
• Analyzing data and providing reports
• Managing the Vital Research Project Line

Scripps Gerontology Center

ODA contracts with Scripps Gerontology Center to conduct the family surveys and ensure the confidentiality of all family survey responses. Scripps Gerontology Center responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Receiving and processing resident representative contact lists
• Administering online, paper, and telephone family surveys
• Quality assurance monitoring
• Analyzing data and providing reports
• Managing the Family Survey Helpline

Survey Schedules

Schedule Overview

The survey project cycle will begin in July 2025. All resident interviews will be completed by the end of March 2026 and all family surveys will be completed by April 2026.

Individual facilities will receive their resident and family results a few months after their resident interview visit. Both the resident and family survey results will be posted on the Ohio Department of Aging’s Long-term Care Quality Navigator website by Summer 2026.

Resident Survey Schedule:

Three (3) Weeks in Advance: Schedule Facilities for the Resident Interview Visit

Vital Research will reach out to all nursing facilities and residential care facilities between July 2025 and March 2026 to schedule resident interview dates, collect facility census lists, and answer any questions.

Two (2) Weeks Before Scheduled Visit

Once your facility is scheduled, download and complete your facility Census List. Submit your entire facility Census List to Vital Research here, using the template provided.

For nursing facilities, include long-stay and short-stay residents on your census list (e.g., intended length of stay is 30 days or less). For residential care facilities, include indication if residents are on an Assisted Living Medicaid Waiver or the MyCare Ohio Waiver; you can also select Unsure or Not on a Waiver. Otherwise, do not exclude residents for any reason, including physical condition, cognitive ability, etc.

Would you like to know how many residents will be interviewed at your facility? View the sampling table here.

One (1) Week Before Scheduled Visit

Let your residents know that one or more interviewers from Vital Research will be at your facility asking about their opinions and feedback regarding the services and quality of life at the facility.

Facilities should also send an informational letter to residents and residents’ most-involved representatives informing them of the resident and family surveys. Download the sample informational letters that you can share with residents and representations. You can also download a poster that can be distributed with residents and representatives or posted around your facility.

If a resident tests positive for COVID-19 or other infectious diseases within five days of the scheduled interview date, please let the Scheduler at Vital Research know; based on the number of cases Vital Research may reschedule your visit. See our Infectious Disease Safety Plan for more information.

Day of Scheduled Visit

The interviewer(s) will typically arrive at 8:30 a.m. to begin interviews at 9:00 a.m. You can facilitate the process by providing them:

• A map of your facility (to help interviewers locate resident rooms, restrooms, etc.)
• A schedule for the day’s activities at the facility
• A meal schedule
• A list of residents whose legal guardian has refused participation on their behalf
• Current list of short-term residents
• A list of residents who have tested positive for COVID-19 or other infectious diseases in the past five days (interviews will not approach those residents)
• Residents receiving memory care or dementia care services

The interviewer(s) will work independently for most of the day. If more than one interviewer is scheduled at your facility, they will periodically meet to discuss their progress. If a Quality Assurance Mentor from Vital Research is scheduled at your facility, they will observe interviews throughout the day and meet with interviewers individually to ensure a quality interview experience for residents.

Interviewers are required to maintain resident confidentiality, to adhere to strict policies and procedures, and to inform your facility contact when arriving and leaving. If the interviewer cannot locate a staff member upon leaving, they will leave a Thank You card. If you encounter any problems, please call Vital Research immediately at 888-628-3681.

While interviewers are in your building, some family members may ask about the Family Satisfaction Survey. Let them know that if they have been identified as the most involved representative, they will receive a letter from Scripps Gerontology Center inviting them to complete a family survey. If they would like more information about how the most involved representatives are identified, please refer them to the Family Survey Helpline at 1-844-864-0049 (toll-free).

Family Survey Schedule:

To streamline the survey process for facilities, resident representative contact information is collected on the Facility Census List by Vital Research and then provided to Scripps Gerontology Center. Upon receiving representative contact information, Scripps Gerontology Center assigns a unique serial number to each representative, which allows the Family Survey research team to follow up with non-responders and remind them to complete the survey. Scripps Gerontology Center then sends a letter by postal mail to each representative, introducing the family survey and inviting them to complete the survey online within two (2) weeks of receiving the letter. Representatives who do not complete the online survey will receive a paper copy of the survey by mail.

In order for facilities to receive a report of their individual facility results, a certain number of resident representatives (determined by the size of the facility and the number of representative names submitted on the Facility Census List) must complete the Family Survey. The Family Satisfaction Survey Sampling Table provides the number of Family Surveys that must be completed in order to provide individual facility results.

To help facilities meet their target for completed surveys, Scripps Gerontology Center will make telephone calls to representatives that do not complete either the online or paper survey, reminding them to complete the survey and offering to assist them in responding to the survey by phone.

Questions?

Visit the Frequently Asked Questions page for answers to commonly asked questions about the project or call the OH LTCF RSS Project Line at 888-628-3681.