Nursing Home Compare

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) rolled out its 5-Star Rating System on Nursing Home Compare, the federal government’s site for consumer research on nursing homes.

The rating system is based on information from the last three years of surveys and complaints, staffing information collected at survey and quality measures. It is one more tool to use to assess care.

It is anticipated that approximately 20 percent of the facilities will receive five stars, 70 percent will have two, three or four stars and the remaining 10 percent will be assigned the lowest rating of one star. Some states like Oklahoma already have a star system in place and more stars can actually mean more Medicaid dollars.

Check the site here. Keep in mind that nursing home care is something we don’t like to think about and don’t want. But some of us WILL need it. Look at how we take care of ourselves! So better prepared than sorry. Do your homework now for future reference. There are good homes out there. I know. I spend hundreds of hours in them.