NRC Health Announces Winners of the 2019 Customer and Employee Approved Awards Among Senior Living Communities

May 20, 2019

LINCOLN, NE–NRC Health, the leading provider of in-depth customer intelligence in healthcare, today announced the winners of its first-ever 2019 Customer and Employee Approved Awards, which recognize senior care organizations across the country for creating an outstanding experience for their customers and employees. Six senior care organizations, including Vetter Senior Living, a large senior living organization with 30 communities in Nebraska, Iowa, and Kansas, earned an award in both categories.

As the world’s population is aging rapidly, with estimates that more than two billion people will be 60 years and older by 2050, the need for safe and compassionate senior care has never been greater. But the perception of senior care communities, including assisted and independent living, has often been one of fear, abuse and neglect. According to a recent NRC Health Market Insights study, only 23 percent of adults say they would put their trust in senior care providers. With so much misinformation about senior care, it’s easy to see why misconceptions like these still persist today.

However, a four-year study of senior care residents and family members found that while the general public’s perception of senior care is still low, a majority 88 percent of residents and family members would actually recommend their care experience to others, further underscoring the disparity between perception and reality of senior care in the US.

“In today’s consumer-driven marketplace, it is impossible to overstate the value of clarity—especially when it comes to senior care. This year’s winning organizations are great examples of the success that comes from cultivating consistent customer and employee experiences,” said Stephanie Kolbo, Vice President Business Development, NRC Health. “As survey results show, their efforts have not gone unnoticed by residents, family members and employees. It’s NRC Health’s pleasure to recognize their achievement and help change the perception of senior care for the better.”

“When it’s time for a loved one to enter a senior living facility, it can be a difficult and emotional experience for everyone involved,” said Glenn Van Ekeren, President at Vetter Health Services. “We’ve worked hard to ensure that our residents and their families feel safe, valued and cared for, and a large part of that has been the unwavering compassion and dedication of our team members. Without their skills and incredible empathy, we would not have earned an award in either of these categories.”

The NRC Health Customer Approved Awards are based on ratings from both family and residents across Independent Living, Assisted Living, and Skilled Nursing care settings. Similarly, the NRC Health Employee Approved Awards are based on ratings gathered from employees of Assisted Living and Skilled Nursing facilities.

Both award programs are derived from organizational Net Promoter Scores, the industry’s most reliable measure of satisfaction and a high-validity proxy measure for loyalty. A carefully designed scoring methodology was used to account for the inherent differences in ratings across levels of care. This was accomplished through the standardization of ratings within each care setting using z-scores, which enabled NRC Health to ensure scoring parity across various settings. Systems with fewer than 10 eligible facilities were omitted, and system-level scores were calculated by taking the average of normalized facility scores. Systems were then rank-ordered, and the top 20 organizations were selected for each award category.

A complete list of award winners can be found here.

For 38 years, NRC Health (NASDAQ: NRC) has been committed to achieving human understanding and bringing healthcare organizations closer to their customers than ever before by illuminating and improving the key moments that define an experience and build trust. Guided by their uniquely empathic heritage, proprietary methods, skilled associates, and holistic approach, NRC Health helps its customers design experiences that exceed expectations, inspire loyalty, and improve well-being among patients, residents, physicians, nurses, and staff.