Long-term care advocates Wednesday applauded Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius for acknowledging “inherent flaws” in the Five-Star Quality Rating System. The fourth annual McKnight’s Online Expo will kick off March 24 with a webcast discussing issues related to nursing home quality.
“Secretary Sebelius’s new comments about ongoing concerns with the Five-Star rating system is a very positive step forward in ultimately being able to ensure consumers have the very best, most accurate, and useful information when making the very important decision about a nursing home,” said Bruce Yarwood, president and CEO of the American Health Care Association, in a statement.
Sebelius Tuesday told reporters at the annual conference of the National Council on Aging and the American Society on Aging in Chicago that, “the last thing we want to do is have an arbitrary bell curve [for the Five-Star Rating System] just for the sake of having a system.”
The McKnight’s webcast, “Quality: Getting from satisfied to very satisfied residents,” will take place at 10 a.m. EST on March 24. The free event will also host four other webcasts on topics ranging from wound care to payment policy. Webcast attendees are eligible to receive up to five continuing education credits—one per webcast.
For more information, or to register for free, visit www.mcknights.com/marchexpo.
