The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services created a system for comparing nursing homes throughout the United States. The ratings are accessible through a Nursing Home Compare search tool on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services website. The ratings are determined by three categories:
- Health Inspections
- Staffing
- Quality
These areas of data are then ranked with a star rating, which is then combined for the overall rating for a particular nursing home.
Health inspections involve an analysis of the major aspects of care offered by a nursing home. The rating is also based on visits by objective state surveyors, which are checked by federal surveyors. One limitation of this rating is that each state has a different inspection process and different licensing requirements, so a comparison of ratings between nursing homes from different states may not be accurate.
Staffing ratings look at the number of residents compared to the total staff and the number of nurses that are members of the staff. The data used to form this rating is self reported and only reflects nursing home staffing from a two week period of time during the year.
Quality measures how a nursing home rates on ten aspects of care, including how the facility helps residents dress and eat, efforts to prevent and treat skin ulcers, or steps taken to deal with the flu. The data used to form this rating is based on self reported information.
Overall, not-for-profit nursing homes received higher ratings than for-profit nursing homes, according to USA Today.
How to Use the Rating System
The rating system provides some preliminary information on a nursing home, but the ratings may not provide an entirely accurate picture of a particular facility. As a result, while going through the process of selecting a nursing home, it is highly recommended that you visit each nursing home that you are considering.
In many cases, selecting a nursing home in close proximity to family and friends has a large affect on a resident’s quality of life in the nursing home. The rating system may provide a starting point to determine which nursing homes in your area meet your basic criteria for a nursing home facility.
The Importance of Researching a Nursing Home
Complaints against California nursing homes to the California Department of Public Health rose from 5,742 in 2004 to 6,950 in 2008. This increase in complaints shows that nursing home residents and their loved ones are not entirely satisfied with the level of care provided by nursing homes state-wide. This increase in complaints indicates the importance of carefully selecting a nursing home, and the new rating system serves as a tool to help in this process.
Thanks for reading my blog. If you have a comment or question, please feel free to reply to this posting, or send me an e-mail. If you suspect that a loved one has been the victim of nursing home abuse or theft, contact me to schedule a confidential consultation and for immediate assistance.
