The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is expected to launch a “5 Star Quality Rating System” addition to its Nursing Home Compare Web site on Thursday. The ratings system is intended to be easier for consumers to use, as well as incorporating more data that has not been used in the past.
According to The Bakersfield Californian, “The new rating tool will use federal data to score each facility’s performance in three areas: health inspections, staffing and quality measures.”
While the link on the CMS Web site to the press release is not currently working, more information was available in an e-mail from CMS:
“The five-star information has been added to the site to condense the large amount of rich quality information already available on Nursing Home Compare. The more detailed information on quality measures, inspections, and staffing will remain available even after the five-star information is added.
The five-star system uses 10 of the 19 key quality measures currently posted on the Nursing Home Compare Web site, including the percent of residents who had pressure ulcers, the number of residents whose mobility deteriorated after admission, and whether residents received the proper medical care, as well as staffing levels in long-term care facilities.”
