Last week, U.S. News and World Report released its list of Best Nursing Homes which included an Honor Roll with 39 facilities that had received five-star ratings from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in each category for an entire year. Now, USA Today is following up with a closer look at the other end of the spectrum: the more than 560 nursing homes that have a one-star federal government rating.
Although many of these nursing homes improved significantly in the past three years, they still have that dismal one-star rating, says USA Today.
The federal government contracts with states to inspect nursing homes about once a year. The star ratings combine scores of data points, including information from annual inspections, quality measures and staff time spent with residents.
AdvertisementNursing Home Compare lists the most recent star ratings but doesn’t provide a history for consumers. USA TODAY analyzed the ratings for 15,700 nursing homes for the past three years. Among the findings:
- Quality improved. The share of nursing homes receiving one or two stars overall fell to 35% in 2011 from 40% in 2009. At the same time, four- and five-star homes increased to 43% from 38% of nursing homes. The share of three-star homes remained steady.
- Some homes are stuck at the bottom: 564 homes—representing 77,315 beds—received one star in each of seven reporting periods analyzed over three years. But 448 homes received the best overall rating—five stars—during each period.
- Among the consistently low performers, almost two-thirds were for-profit nursing homes that are owned by chains. That’s a higher share than the 40% of all nursing homes in for-profit chains.
Read the full article and check out the list of one-star facilities at USA Today.
Written by Alyssa Gerace
