Nursing home quality shows improvement

Recent government data released last week indicates that more skilled nursing facilities are achieving higher Five-Star Quality Rating System (Five-Star) scores. Analyzing 15,000 facilities nationwide, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) reported increases in the number of four-star (4 percent) and five-star (4.1 percent) facilities.

On another high note, the data revealed a 7 percent overall decrease in the number of one-star facilities, a further indication of quality improvement in the field.

Three areas—Staffing, Quality Measures and Health Inspections—comprise Five-Star rankings. Encouraging data in the Quality Measures domain showed a nine percent drop in one-star facilities.

In a release, American Health Care Association (AHCA) President and CEO Mark Parkinson said, “We’re excited about this positive trend, and will continue to work with CMS to do more in these critical areas.”

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