ISDH Online Survey Report System Now Live

The Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) Survey Report System is now operational. The Survey Report System is first being introduced to comprehensive care facilities (nursing homes) and residential care facilities (licensed assisted living). The system will later be expanded to other health care facilities, agencies, and centers.

The ISDH Survey Report System will be used by the ISDH to send health care facilities the "Survey Report Form 2567" along with survey letters and documents issued by the ISDH as part of the licensing and certification process. Here are some of the things that the system will accomplish.

- The system will eliminate the need for mailing surveys and documents.

- The system will enable the health care facility to immediately view and print survey reports and survey related documents through the online system.

- The system will allow health care facilities to complete and submit the Plan of Correction (POC) online and upload supporting documents as part of the Plan of Correction.

- The survey report with its plan of correction will be posted online on the ISDH Consumer Report.

- The online system increases the efficiency of the survey process allowing for quicker responses.

The ISDH Survey Report System was implemented on March 1, 2011. All future surveys for comprehensive care facilities (nursing homes) and residential care facilities (licensed assisted living) will utilize the new system. Upon entry into the facility, surveyors will confirm email addresses and provide facilities with access information. All survey reports and survey-related documents will be posted to the Survey Report System and facilities must submit their plan of correction, if required, through the system.

The ISDH created a Survey Report System User's Manual. The User's Manual is designed to assist health care facilities in utilizing the Survey Report System. The Manual provides a step by step explanation of the system using screenshots.

Facilities will access the ISDH Survey Report System through the ISDH State Health Gateway. Instructions for accessing the State Health Gateway are included in the User's Manual and will be provided to facilities when surveyors begin a survey. The system will require a username and password which will be provided to the facilities by surveyors at the time of the facility's first survey after implementation of the system.

In ISDH LTC Newsletter Issue # 11-04, the ISDH requested facilities to complete a registration form providing the ISDH with the facility email address that they wish to use for this system. Any facilities that have not yet completed the registration form are encouraged to do so. The online registration form is found at www.in.gov/isdh/25053.htm.

The registration is solely to ensure that the ISDH has the email address that the facility wishes to use for survey notifications. The ISDH needs every nursing home to provide the facility email address to which they wish survey document notifications to be sent. A facility may, but is not required to, select a second email address for notifications to be sent. Some facilities may want to use the second email notification address for their corporate office or owners. At the time of entry into a facility, surveyors will confirm these email addresses and provide the facility with the username and password needed to access the system.

If the Indiana comprehensive care facility (nursing home) and residential care facility (licensed assisted living) has not already done so, the facility should complete the following action items:

1. Review the Survey Report System User's Manual.
2. Identify (or create) a facility email address for ISDH survey notifications.
3. Determine an additional office or individual entity that the facility would like to receive ISDH survey notifications.
4. Complete the online registration form at www.in.gov/isdh/25053.htm providing the ISDH with information needed to register your facility into the Survey Report System.

Recently, at least one facility experienced a problem receiving their survey report. The survey system had a glitch that resulted in the facility not receiving their survey report until days before their plan of correction was required. A quick response and resolution was required to avoid a negative outcome for the facility.

Should your facility experience any problems or if you have any questions, please contact any one of the following attorneys who have significant experience in handling licensure and survey issues for LTC facilities:

Lori McLaughlin at lmclaughlin@kdlegal.com or (219) 227-6075

Randall R. Fearnow at rfearnow@kdlegal.com or (317) 238-6279

David E. Jose at Djose@kdlegal.com or (317) 238-6211

Melinda R. Shapiro at mshapiro@kdlegal.com or (317) 238-6226

Susan E. Ziel at sziel@kdlegal.com or (317) 238-6244