The impact of survey delays on nursing home quality and consumer information
By
Steven Littlehale
May 24, 2024
In a column published by McKnight’s in December 2023, “Revamping CMS Survey Data Integration Amid Regulatory Lag in Nursing Home Oversight,” I urged the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services...
CMS to begin audits for schizophrenia coding, says citations will affect quality ratings
By
Alicia Lasek
Jan 19, 2023
The agency will start auditing nursing homes this month to determine whether residents’ schizophrenia diagnoses are accurate and appropriately coded. A pattern of inaccurate coding may result in a quality...
Data lapses did not affect Five-Star ratings, CMS says as providers call for review of agency’s...
By
Kimberly Marselas
Apr 13, 2023
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said Wednesday it was taking “seriously” a damning report that questioned the accuracy of information it posted on its Care Compare site, but added that...
Tough times for long-term care
By
Liza Berger
Oct 07, 2009
Could things get any gloomier? I hate to be a pessimist, but when you look at the landscape–from Medicare and Medicaid cuts to the shortcomings of the Five-Star Quality Rating System–the hits...
Third-party validation a necessity in Five Star system
By
MIranda Meadow
Oct 01, 2014
The attention given to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Five Star Quality Rating System over the last few weeks by the New York Times, Forbes, and elected officials serves to highlight the...
Saying ‘yes’ to nursing homes and ‘no’ to healthcare reform
By
Liza Berger
Jun 11, 2010
Some of nursing homes’ heartiest advocates on Capitol Hill are against the healthcare reform law. Three such lawmakers addressed members at the American Health Care Association’s annual briefing...
Maybe you don’t want to be in that preferred network …
By
Steven Littlehale
Jan 23, 2017
When it comes to contemplating joining caregiving networks, maybe you have more in common with the hospital than you think. Poor-performing hospitals tend to coexist in the same market as poor-performing...
The truth in the stars
By
Jessica Curtis
Jun 07, 2021
Can a one-star skilled nursing facility be the same as a five-star facility? It depends on your zip code. When the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services assigns the health inspection...
CMS remains positive about Five-Star rating system despite criticism from attorneys general
Sep 03, 2009
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services responded to a letter from 31 of the nation’s state attorneys general who criticized the nursing home Five-Star Quality Rating System. In a statement,...
Revamping CMS survey data integration amid regulatory lag in nursing home oversight
By
Steven Littlehale
Dec 08, 2023
The report titled “Uninspected and Neglected” by the majority staff of the US Senate Special Committee on Aging brings attention to a pressing issue: the severe understaffing of inspection agencies...