Feds Enhance Site for Comparing Nursing Homes
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has revamped the criteria on its " Nursing Home Compare " Web site, where consumers can compare nursing home care in the United States. The measures are designed to help consumers better understand the quality of care provided in nursing homes and allow nursing homes to compare their performance with nearby facilities.
In addition, new information about complaints against nursing homes will soon be available on the site. The government has approved 21 new quality-of-care measures that assess patients' experiences at both long-term care and short-term care facilities. The new measures focus on pressure ulcers (bed sores), self-reported pain, falls, infections, and general patient well-being. Among the new measures are ones that look at the percentage of residents in a facility who report that they have moderate to severe pain, the percentage of residents assessed and appropriately given the vaccine to prevent pneumonia, and the percentage of residents who were physically restrained. The 17 measures that were previously in place have been retired.
Coming soon: Nursing Home Compare will also list the number of civil money penalties and other enforcement actions against the nursing home for the past three years, as well as the number of substantiated complaints against the nursing home and the number of incidents reported by residents for the past three years.
The 21 National Quality Forum (NQF)-endorsed measures of nursing home care:
-From ElderLaw News from ElderLawAnswers, July 13, 2011, http://www.elderlawanswers.com/resources/article.asp?id=9243&Section=4&state= and “21 Quality Measures Coming to Nursing Home Compare” by Anthony Cirillo , About.com Guide April 4, 2011, http://assistedliving.about.com/b/2011/04/04/21-quality-measures-coming-to-nursing-home-compare.htm
- Physical therapy or nursing rehabilitation/restorative care for long-stay patients with new balance problem
- Percent of residents experiencing one or more falls with major injury (long stay)
- The percentage of residents on a scheduled pain medication regimen on admission who report a decrease in pain intensity or frequency (short stay)
- Percent of residents who self-report moderate to severe pain (short stay)
- Percent of residents who self-report moderate to severe pain (long stay)
- Percent of residents with pressure ulcers that are new or worsened (short stay)
- Percent of high-risk residents with pressure ulcers (long stay)
- Percent of residents assessed and appropriately given the seasonal influenza vaccine during the flu season (short stay)
- Percent of residents assessed and appropriately given the seasonal influenza vaccine (long stay)
- Percent of residents assessed and appropriately given the pneumococcal vaccine (short stay)
- Percent of residents assessed and appropriately given the pneumococcal vaccine (long stay)
- Percent of residents with a urinary tract infection (long stay)
- Percent of low-risk residents who lose control of their bowels or bladder (long stay)
- Percent of residents who have/had a catheter inserted and left in their bladder (long stay)
- Percent of residents who were physically restrained (long stay)
- Percent of residents whose need for help with activities of daily living has increased (long stay)
- Percent of residents who lose too much weight (long stay)
- Percent of residents who have depressive symptoms (long stay)
- Consumer Assessment of Health Providers and Systems Nursing Home Survey: Discharged Resident Instrument
- Consumer Assessment of Health Providers and Systems Nursing Home Survey: Long-Stay Resident Instrument
- Consumer Assessment of Health Providers and Systems Nursing Home Survey: Family Member Instrument
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