New Website Compares and Rates Nursing Homes
I recently learned about a new website sponsored by the federal government that rates nursing homes. For those of you who are doing your best to find the best facility to care for an elderly family member, the new option in locating higher quality homes is welcome.
In addition, The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will start a pilot program this summer to track how cash incentives to nursing homes improve care, specifically in nurse staffing and preventable hospitalizations.
There are roughly 16,400 nursing homes nationwide and taxpayers spend about $72.5 billion annually to subsidize nursing home care through the medi-cal and medicare programs.
CMS began ranking nursing homes “based on government inspection results, staffing data, and quality measures” via the “Nursing Home Compare” system, which is available at medicare.gov/NHCompare.
When reviewing the Web site, be sure to follow up with additional research, such as in-facility visits, speaking to other residents, data review, and state and other source review.
The Advocacy group, the National Citizens’ Coalition for Nursing Home Reform, warns some nursing home-provided data may contain errors and that consumers should check regularly for monthly updates.
Check out the website and compare it’s rating with your own observations.
James D. Perry
Tags: Elder Law, Estate Planning, Nursing Homes
