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Upgraded user interface to ease navigation and improve the clarity of key metrics for both online and printable formats.It is an important starting point to compare the quality of different nursing homes in a particular area.ĬMS is implementing further improvements to the Five Star system beginning in 2015, including:.Nursing Home Compare is the most highly-rated Compare website of all the CMS compare websites.Based on surveys of users completed in March 2013, 85% of consumers report they find the information they are looking for.Used by families, nursing homes, hospital discharge planners, researchers, news media, and the public.ĭespite some limitations, the Five Star ratings and website are considered useful by advocacy groups and families.Accessed by approximately 115,000 visitors each month, about 1.4 million each year.The most comprehensive overview of nursing home quality in the U.S.The Nursing Home Compare website allows users to make meaningful distinctions among nursing homes regarding the quality of care compared with other nursing homes in the same State. Staffing Levels: Self-reported data from the nursing homes on their level of staffing.Quality Measures (QMs): Some quality measures that rate each home compared to fixed benchmarks (e.g., prevalence of pressure ulcers, use of restraints, injurious falls).Onsite Inspections: 180,000 onsite inspections of nursing homes over the most recent 3 years, by trained, objective surveyors from State public health departments and CMS.The Five Star Quality Rating System for Nursing Homes offers the most comprehensive overview of nursing home quality in the U.S. Families had little access to information where they could gain an understanding of meaningful differences between nursing homes in their area to help them make the right decisions for their loved ones. Users may sort through nursing homes in their area through an online tool at CMS’ Nursing Home Compare website ( ).īefore CMS began these ratings, information about nursing homes was not easily available or understandable to consumers or the public. CMS’ Five Star Quality Rating System for Nursing HomesĬMS’ Five Star Quality Rating System for Nursing Homes is a consumer service that offers useful information to the public about the quality of care in the 15,800 nursing homes that participate in the Medicare or Medicaid programs.
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