Nursing Home Rating System Introduced

A five-star rating system for nursing homes was announced Thursday, December 18, by the federal Department of Health and Human Services, see http://www.medicare.gov/NHCompare.  

The ratings are drawn from three sources of data:

• health inspections
• staffing 
• quality measures   

The starred rankings indicate the following:

• five stars = much above average 
• four stars = above average 
• three stars = about average 
• two stars = below average 
• one star = much below average 

According to a report in the New York Times, "Nursing Home Industry Worries About New Ratings," 22% of nursing homes received the lowest rating of one star, while only 12% received the highest rating of five stars.

Families trying to select a nursing home may find helpful this nursing home checklist.  Additional information to help select a nursing home can be obtained from Kentuckians for Nursing Home Reform orNursing Home Ombudsman Agency of the Bluegrass. 

Robert L. Abell

www.RobertAbellLaw.com