It has only been a few weeks since A Place for Mom launched a senior care review site, but Golden Reviews already believes it can do a better job.
Based in Chicago, Ill., and launched by Leo Friedman, the company’s goal is to bring transparency and accountability to the senior care industry through its 110,000 community listings on its website. After going live in March, the company has more than 2,000 reviews with at least 200 reviews being added or modified each day, says Friedman.
Golden Reviews plans to compete with companies like A Place for Mom by touting its “mantra of transparency,” Friedman tells SHN.
“We want to give an inside look into nursing homes, assisted and independent living that is transparent,” he says.
The reviews are built one at a time using “transparency advocates” tasked to go into local communities and encourage people to post reviews. After a review is submitted, it goes through an internal process to ensure its legitimacy.
Having reviews on listing sites is becoming more important, as Caring.com data for its consumer review component showed that listings with reviews received five times the amount of inquiries compared to those without.
Golden Reviews has also launched what it calls the “Golden Seal,” the only consumer-awarded third-party mark of quality in senior housing and care. If a community receives a certain number of reviews with an average overall rating of 4.25, the community is awarded a plaque and badge that can be used in marketing materials.
The company generates revenue from referral fees, as well as its Care Partner program. For a monthly fee, communities can join the program and get advance notice to any negative review as well as one week to resolve the complaint before it goes live on the site.
“The review, whether positive or negative, will always be published on the site,” Friedman says. “By being a Care Partner, communities have the ability to respond publicly and address any problems.”
The review space in senior housing is heating up, with the Assisted Living Federation of America entering a partnership with Caring.com, as well as SeniorHomes.com allowing consumers to provide feedback.
Written by John Yedinak
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