The New Medicare Quality Ratings of Nursing Homes
The Center for Medicare-Medicaid Services (CMS) rolled out its new quality nursing home five star rating system on December 18, 2008.
The five star system awards points to nursing homes based on performance in three areas:
1. Inspection Surveys
2. Staffing
3. Quality Measures
The highest rating is five star which means the facility is “much above average”.
A four star rating means that the facility is “above average”, and a three star rating means the facility is “about average”.
A two star rating means the facility is “below average”, and a one star rating means the facility is “much below average”.
According to CMS’s national data, twelve percent (12%) of the nursing homes receiving medicare or medicaid dollars score five stars. Twenty two percent (22%) receive a one star rating and the rest are evenly divided between two, three, and four stars. However, facility rankings may differ somewhat from state to state.
The new five star rating system can be found on Medicare’s Nursing Home Compare website.
As with all rating systems, the five star system is of general use and is just a place to start a search for a quality nursing home.
If you work in a nursing home, be sure to ask about your facility’s ranking.
The “Guardian Blog” will provide information to help both families and professionals assess and improve the quality of nursing home care in Arizona and the Guardian Blog will encourage dialogue with and among its readers.
