cms nursing home compare quality measures

#Cms nursing home compare quality measures update

Of all the domains, providers should look at the quality domain to increase their star ratings, Martin said.

#Cms nursing home compare quality measures update

CMS proposed updates to the hospital star ratings in February and finalized policy changes for MA and Part D plans in April.įor Nursing Home Compare, the update represents the first major change to the rating system since the program's inception in 2008. Star ratings are also used for hospitals, Medicare Advantage and part D plans. Martin, who works with SNFs, said the changes released on Wednesday show that about 47 percent of skilled nursing facilities saw no change 37 percent saw a decline of one or more stars and 16 percent saw an increase in their overall star rating. Nursing Home Compare shows data gathered on nursing homes, skilled nursing facilities, rehab centers, and other long-term care settings. By losing this eligibility, SNFs lose access to this pool of patients and their affiliated ACOs. Nursing Home Compare now displays two new quality ratings, one based on short-stay care and one for long-stay care, which will prove useful to hospitals that are primarily concerned with short-stay populations, Martin said.Ĭonsumers also use the Nursing Home Compare website to find providers.Īnother concern for SNFs is the potential loss of eligibility to participate in the skilled nursing facility three-day stay rule waiver program with next generation ACOs, Martin said. Hospitals use the star ratings, especially the measures in the quality domain, as they seek skilled nursing facilities for inclusion in their preferred networks. 'No one's going to be happy they lost a star rating because CMS changed the methodology.' 'Every domain has undergone some methodology changes, pretty substantial changes,' Martin said.

The agency has basically pushed the reset button as facilities have improved their ratings over the past 10 years. CMS has raised the bar in the three domains used for the ratings in quality, staffing and survey results. The reason for the drop is not related to quality of care, but due to CMS methodology changes, according to Tom Martin, director of Post Acute Care Analytics for CarePort. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services this week released a major overhaul to the 5-star rating program for Nursing Home Compare that has resulted in an estimated 37 percent of skilled nursing facilities losing one or more stars.