There's been quite a big stir out here about the subject lately: U.S. rates 16,000 nursing homes :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Nation
A statistical analysis of the federal government's first-ever ratings of nearly 16,000 nursing homes reveals an uneven level of quality across the nation and shows how complicated it is to find a good nursing home.
The Scripps Howard News Service analysis of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' Nursing Home Compare system shows that:
• Institutions run by for-profit corporations, which account for about two-thirds of all nursing facilities, generally get lower scores than those run by nonprofits.
• Homes with more nursing staff per patient, which also tend to be run by nonprofits, generally do better in the ratings.
• Homes with more than 100 beds tend to get lower scores in all categories, including health of residents and levels of nursing care.
• Ratings are lowest in Southern states, particularly for nursing care and registered-nurse staffing, and highest for homes in the Northeast.
• Slightly more than 20 percent of nursing homes nationwide have been regularly given the lowest ratings, and 12 percent to 13 percent have received the top rating.
The government ratings -- on a one- to five-star scale -- "offer families the first objective information on nursing-home-quality measures with meaningful distinctions between all nursing homes across the U.S.," said CMS official Thomas Hamilton.
"Our hope is that families will use the system to look at nursing homes near where they live and compare quality ratings within their state. But they should consider it only a starting point," Hamilton said.
"Once they pare down the list, they should print out the information and take it with them when they visit facilities and talk with residents and their families and other people who might be familiar with the home."
The system, implemented late last year, includes everything from fire safety and food preparation to rates of residents suffering from bedsores.
Larry Minnix, chief executive of the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging, said the ratings as a "concept is a good idea."
But, he argues, "they're not really measuring the most meaningful things, like patient- and staff-satisfaction surveys, nor do the stars take into account the patient caseload."
A statistical analysis of the federal government's first-ever ratings of nearly 16,000 nursing homes reveals an uneven level of quality across the nation and shows how complicated it is to find a good nursing home.
The Scripps Howard News Service analysis of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' Nursing Home Compare system shows that:
• Institutions run by for-profit corporations, which account for about two-thirds of all nursing facilities, generally get lower scores than those run by nonprofits.
• Homes with more nursing staff per patient, which also tend to be run by nonprofits, generally do better in the ratings.
• Homes with more than 100 beds tend to get lower scores in all categories, including health of residents and levels of nursing care.
• Ratings are lowest in Southern states, particularly for nursing care and registered-nurse staffing, and highest for homes in the Northeast.
• Slightly more than 20 percent of nursing homes nationwide have been regularly given the lowest ratings, and 12 percent to 13 percent have received the top rating.
The government ratings -- on a one- to five-star scale -- "offer families the first objective information on nursing-home-quality measures with meaningful distinctions between all nursing homes across the U.S.," said CMS official Thomas Hamilton.
"Our hope is that families will use the system to look at nursing homes near where they live and compare quality ratings within their state. But they should consider it only a starting point," Hamilton said.
"Once they pare down the list, they should print out the information and take it with them when they visit facilities and talk with residents and their families and other people who might be familiar with the home."
The system, implemented late last year, includes everything from fire safety and food preparation to rates of residents suffering from bedsores.
Larry Minnix, chief executive of the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging, said the ratings as a "concept is a good idea."
But, he argues, "they're not really measuring the most meaningful things, like patient- and staff-satisfaction surveys, nor do the stars take into account the patient caseload."