CMS adds new measures to nursing home five-star quality ratings
New measures provide more information on successful discharges, emergency visits, re-hospitalizations, CMS says.
CMS Headquarters-Windsor Mill, MD
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has updated its five-star quality ratings for nursing homes that will likely alter the current ratings.
The new measures give families more information on successful discharges, emergency visits, and re-hospitalizations, according to CMS. They complement other nursing home measures previously announced in April, CMS said.
With the new measures added to the calculations, the quality measures star rating for each nursing home, as well as the overall rating, could change, CMS said.
Nursing homes receive four different star ratings ranging from 1 to 5 stars on the CMS website, Nursing Home Compare. There's one for each of the components: health inspections, staffing, and quality measures; and an overall rating, which is calculated by combining each of the three component scores.
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Star ratings are part of the administration's open data initiative for transparency.
Nursing Home Compare is the agency's public information website that provides information on how well Medicare and Medicaid certified nursing homes provide care to their residents.
"When residents and their families are faced with important decisions about care, they need an easy, transparent way to figure out which facility is the best fit for them or their loved ones," said CMS Deputy Administrator and Chief Medical Officer Patrick Conway, MD. "With this update, star ratings will provide an even more accurate reflection of the services that nursing homes provide."
Twitter: @SusanJMorse
