CMS has published Updates to the Nursing Home Compare Website and Five Star Quality Rating System (12/4/2020 Ref: QSO21-06-NH), resuming calculation of the Health Inspections and Quality Measure ratings on January 27, 2021 and is transitioning to the new Care Compare website.
Updates:
Surveys - State Survey Agencies have been instructed to resume all surveys as soon as they have resources to do so.
Health Inspections - CMS is resuming calculation of nursing homes’ health inspections (previously suspended 3/23/2020) ratings on 1/27/2021 for inclusion in calculation of the Five Star Quality Ratings.
QM’s - While timeframes for submitting data were waived (holding QMs constant with data through 12/31/19), nursing homes have been submitting required data. Since CMS has the data, they are going to update quality measures including claims-based quality measures. QMs will be posted on the Nursing Home Compare website and used in the Five Star Quality Rating System updated on 1/27/2021 with data collection period ending June 30, 2020.
Care Compare – Dec 1, 2020 the legacy Nursing Home compare website was retired with users redirected to the new websites.
To search for and view information about nursing homes: https://www.medicare.gov/care-compare/
To view or download data about nursing homes: https://data.cms.gov/provider-data/
Questions about Five Star Quality Rating System: BetterCare@cms.hhs.gov.
Let's Get to the Point:
CMS stated in this memorandum that these actions...” will not only inform residents and families of the current status of residents in nursing homes but will also incentivize nursing homes to improve performance.” I do not know of a collective group more dedicated to the care of their residents than long term care professionals.
Monitor the CMS website for release of the updated Five Star Technical Users’ Guide on or before January 15, 2021. The guide will contain updated specifications for each area that contributes to the Five Star Rating.
Working together collaboratively, we can obtain successful outcomes for our residents despite the obstacles we face.