Illinois Recieves $110 Million in Federal Funding to Prevent Nursing Home Abuse

Posted on January 26, 2012 by David Boyles

On Tuesday, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn announced the creation of a $110 million federal fund to prevent nursing home abuse. The money will come from a tax on nursing homes and be used to help homes meet new state requirements that were passed last year in response to a string of nursing home abuse incidents.

Governor Quinn formed a task force to investigate nursing home abuse in 2009 after a string of high-profile incidents and investigations by local newspapers. In response, last year the state legislature passed a bill requiring increased staffing and safety provisions, as well as revisions to the screening process for nursing homes to protect residents from other residents with a history of violence.

The $110 million fund will be created by a tax on nursing homes and federal Medicaid matching funds. The money will help nursing homes hire additional staff and bring their safety regulations in line with the new state standards.
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Ohio Nursing Home Advocates Protest Medicaid Cuts

Posted on December 9, 2011 by David Boyles

Nursing home advocates are protesting cuts to the state's Medicaid program that will result in deep cuts in staffing. The advocates claim the cuts will result in a worse level of care and that the cuts in Ohio may be just the beginning of cuts to nursing homes around the country.

The Ohio legislature has voted to cut Medicaid payments by 6 percent for the next fiscal year. In addition, the federal government has made an 11 percent cut to Medicare for the next fiscal year as well, with additional cuts still possible. Government funding from Medicare and Medicaid make up 70 percent of nursing home budgets in Ohio.

A survey of Ohio nursing homes found that 2,800 jobs had been cut between July 1 and September 1, and an additional 20,000 jobs may be lost due to the Medicare cuts. These deep cuts will result in nursing homes that understaffed and also possibly staffed with improperly trained workers. Nursing homes that are understaffed or do not have properly trained workers are much more likely to have incidences of abuse and neglect and to lead to injuries and wrongful death.

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The New Medicare Quality Ratings of Nursing Homes

Posted on March 20, 2009 by Martin Solomon

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.
 

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