For years, I’ve been telling LeadingAge members that a new kind of consumer is coming.

Those new consumers will be demanding, tech-savvy, and very sure about the types of services, supports, and amenities they’ll want from their life plan communities or assisted living providers.

Turns out these consumers will also be very skilled at using the Internet to find out whether your organization can meet their requirements.

It’s up to you to make sure the information they find online is accurate, and that you can respond appropriately if it’s not.

Don’t have a clue how to do that? Two recent articles convinced me that it’s time to find out.

2 New Ways to Rate Senior Living

One article, in Senior Housing News, reports on plans by J.D. Power to move into the senior living field. That’s right. The company known for its car ratings is going to start rating you.

J.D. Power’s new senior living certification program will measure large organizations against the company’s quality standards. An organization’s certification will be based on the results of resident satisfaction surveys and an onsite audit. Smaller providers will eventually be included in 4 or 5 regional senior living studies.

In a second article The New York Times reports on the growing number of nursing home reviews appearing on Yelp, the online service you probably use to find good restaurants when you’re on vacation.

Yelp ratings represent a “highly flawed measurement” of nursing homes, acknowledges author Paula Span. But that doesn’t mean consumers aren’t paying attention to them.

Why Consumer Reviews are Gaining Traction

Span suggests that Yelp’s movement into nursing home reviews is due, in part, to the fact that the 5-star rating system managed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is so faulty. The CMS Nursing Home Compare website contains good information collected during on-site inspections. But some critics charge that self-reported staffing and quality measures are “untrustworthy and prone to manipulation.” Another flaw: Nursing Home Compare doesn’t include consumer feedback.

Yelp and J.D. Power probably aren’t the only resources consumers will consult when trying to figure out if they would be happy with a nursing home or other residential care option. Indeed, Span warns her readers not to base their care-related decisions solely on Yelp, Facebook, or other social media sites.

That’s sound advice. However, online reviews are still likely to have a powerful effect on consumer choice, even when consumers consult other resources. So, providers can’t afford to ignore this new online phenomenon.

Fortunately, you have some time to get ready.

J.D. Power will begin its certification program only with the largest senior living organizations, and its impact on smaller providers will be negligible for now.

Likewise, Span reports that only 7% of Yelp’s roughly 150 million total reviews concern health care, including assisted living communities and nursing homes. But, she warns, those numbers are bound to grow as more consumers turn to Yelp to read and write reviews.

What Should You Do?

It goes without saying that the best way to get good reviews is to provide the highest possible quality of care and services in all your settings. But there’s no guarantee that all online reviews will accurately reflect the quality of care you provide throughout your organization.

I’d recommend a few steps for now:

Vigilance: Keep a close eye on the variety of online sites where consumers can review your organization. Keep track of what consumers are saying about you and whether it’s accurate.

Response: Consult with your social media expert to determine the best way to respond when you see negative ratings or reviews that are unfair or inaccurate. (If you don’t have a social media expert, find one.)

Education: Be proactive about educating prospective residents and their families about the wide variety of resources they can and should consult before making their decision about residential care. Encourage visitors to talk with your team of caregivers, and with residents and their family members, to get an accurate view of your organization.

Finally, resolve not to bury your head in the sand. Our new consumer is going to find information in ways that you find unfamiliar, and even uncomfortable. Your job is to figure out how to live and prosper in that new reality.