State attorneys general urge suspension and revision of Five-Star rating system
Aug 28, 2009
A total of 31 state attorneys general sent a letter to Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. In the letter, they called for the suspension and revision of the Five-Star...
Five-Star insights: Will those stars ever illuminate your path?
By
Steven Littlehale
May 16, 2012
I recently asked a hospital discharge planner how she chooses which nursing home to discharge to. “Five-Star” was the reply. Was I surprised? Not at all. Once again, it demonstrates just how...
Study: Nursing home residents view facilities differently than five-star system
Jul 19, 2010
The Five-Star Quality Rating System devised by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services bears little relation to the actual views of residents, family members and staff at the facilities it ranks,...
Analysis uncovers inconsistencies in nursing home five-star rating system
Nov 20, 2009
A new statistical analysis of the Five-Star Quality Rating System reveals some uneven results across the country.
CMS’ rollout decisions don’t always make sense
By
Liza Berger
Mar 06, 2009
You have to wonder who is making some of the calls at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services—because they don’t seem altogether consistent. While some decisions are spot on, others leave you...
Nursing homes respond to news report that one in five nursing homes rate poorly
Jan 29, 2010
A recent analysis by USA Today finds that one in five U.S. nursing homes consistently receive poor ratings for overall quality under the Five-Star Quality Rating System. Such news is not surprising to...
CMS: Lower COVID rates linked to higher nursing home quality ratings
By
Alicia Lasek
Jun 02, 2021
Higher facility star ratings are tied to lower COVID transmission rates and fewer deaths, according to the agency’s chief medical officer and director of its Center for Clinical Standards and Quality.
The beauty of bad publicity
By
Gary Tetz
Aug 28, 2014
When I saw the New York Times article illuminating the clever ways devious operators could inflate their Medicare star ratings, I had mixed emotions ranging from fury to rage.
New goals for antipsychotics not unreasonable, leaders say
By
Elizabeth Newman
Nov 01, 2014
Providers may grumble about renewed pressure to lower the use of antipsychotics among long-term care residents with dementia, but the industry has an opportunity to be a leader, said LeadingAge President...
Three stars will be the new one star
By
Betsy Rust
Dec 07, 2016
Nursing home operators call it low occupancy. Medicare insiders call it a declining census. Economists call it excess capacity.