Consumer Alerts added to the Nursing Home Compare website and the Five Star Quality Rating System

QSO-20-01-NH – Consumer Alerts added to the Nursing Home Compare website and the Five Star Quality Rating System

CMS is updating the Nursing Home Compare website to make it easier for consumers to identify facilities with instances of non-compliance related to abuse.  CMS has periodically made improvements to the Five Star Quality Rating System and Nursing Home Compare website.  Each update has been part of CMS’s ongoing effort to improve the information available to consumers and drive quality improvement amongst nursing homes, and this update advances these efforts.

Adding an “abuse icon” to facilities cited for abuse:  (Stop hand)

Every nursing home resident deserves to be treated with respect at all times.  Abuse is never acceptable and CMS is very concerned about incidents related to abuse (including neglect and exploitation) in nursing homes.  CMS is committed to preventing abuse through a five-part strategy to ensure safety and quality in nursing homes.  As part of the strategy, CMS wants to make it easier for consumers to identify facilities with instances of non-compliance related to abuse.  In October 2019, CMS will be adding an icon to highlight facilities that meet the following criteria:

1. Facilities cited for abuse where resident(s) were found to be harmed (Scope/Severity of G or higher) on most recent standard survey, or on a complaint survey with in the past 12 months; or
2. Facilities cited for abuse where resident(s) were found to be potentially harmed (Scope/Severity of D or higher) on the most recent standard survey or complaint survey within the past 12 months, and on the previous (i.e., second most recent) standard survey or on a complaint survey in the prior 12 months (i.e., from 24 months ago to 12 months ago).

CMS believes this icon will help consumers make informed decision about their health care.  To support this CMS will also update a consumer checklist with questions that consumers can use to ask facilities for information about how they prevent abuse.  Lastly, CMS believes this action will serve as an additional incentive for facilities to prevent abuse.

Consumer Checklist

More detailed information available:  QSO-20-01-NH Consumer Alerts added to the Nursing Home Compare website and the Five Star Quality Rating System