Illinois Nursing Homes Rated for Quality by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has introduced a 5-star rating system assessing almost 16,000 US nursing homes for the quality of care they provide. The rankings are based on a compilation of complaint investigations, inspection records, and quality measures. A lot of the information is from 2008.
Kerry Weems, the Acting Medicare Administrator, says the new rankings should hopefully push nursing homes to improve the quality of care that they provide. This will hopefully reduce the number of nursing home abuse and neglect incidents that occur in US care facilities.
In Illinois, 792 nursing homes were ranked by the CMS. While 82 Illinois nursing homes received 5 stars, 207 Illinois nursing homes received just 1 star. A 1 star is considered “much below average” and a 5 star is for “much above average.”
Nationally:
• 23% of US nursing homes were given 1 star for overall performance.
• Nursing homes connected to hospitals received higher rankings than nursing homes that do not have this association.
• 19% of non-profit nursing homes received 5-star rankings.
• Only 9% of for-profit nursing facilities received 5-stars.
Some Illinois nursing home operators say the CMS’s new rating system is unfair and deeply flawed, especially as Illinois nursing homes are upheld to higher standards than nursing homes in other US states. They are worried that this could cause local nursing homes to look worse than other nursing homes if they fail to uphold Illinois’s more rigorous standards.
Feds rate U.S. nursing homes, USA Today, December 18, 2008
17 area nursing homes get lowest ranking possible, BND.com, December 22, 2008
Related Web Resources:
Nursing Home Compare Site, Medicare
Nursing Homes: 10 Best States for Overall Staffing, US News and World Report, December 19, 2008
Illinois nursing homes can be held liable for nursing home neglect if a nursing home resident is injured or dies because of the poor quality of care he or she received while at the long-term care residence. Chicago Nursing Home Abuse Attorney Steve Malman can help you explore your legal options.
