January 11, 2013
Journalists generally get all warm and tingly when previously guarded information becomes available. It must be in our DNA. So I should probably be cheering ProPublica's announcement that the government is now releasing unredacted write-ups of problems found during nursing home inspections.
The developers of the online Nursing Home Inspect updated its database this week to allow consumers to comb through 134,602 nursing home inspection deficiencies.
Medicare beneficiaries now can research nursing homes and determine their coverage options from their smartphones or tablets, thanks to a Medicare website redesign.
August 15, 2012
A consumer-targeted Internet tool unveiled Tuesday allows users to search the federal nursing home inspection reports and deficiencies by keyword, city and facility name.
July 20, 2012
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has just rolled out its latest version of Nursing Home Compare. If your facility garnered five stars, you probably love it. If you received one star, you surely hate it.
July 19, 2012
The government's Nursing Home Compare website now includes more information about surveyor inspection findings and antipsychotic medication usage, officials announced Tuesday.
June 06, 2012
Last week, I heard one of the most insightful, no-baloney talks I've heard in a while from a long-term care official.
May 16, 2012
I recently asked a hospital discharge planner how she chooses which nursing home to discharge to. "Five-Star" was the reply. Was I surprised? Not at all. Once again, it demonstrates just how far this Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services consumer initiative reaches.
The functional status and behavior sections of the MDS 3.0 often lead to risk and liability dangers for providers, a long-term care coding expert said Sunday.
April 13, 2012
A newly announced plan to mine data from Medicare Advantage plans might give many operators an unexpected spine shiver.
Investigators are blaming an Ohio nursing home fire — which killed one person and hospitalized five others — on a methamphetamine lab in a resident's room.
February 10, 2012
So I'm listening to the radio the other day when a friendly but serious voice starts in about about how putting a loved one in a nursing home is a gut-wrenching choice. It's all just a prelude to the kill shot: If you are dissatisfied or concerned about the care your loved one might be receiving, why don't you give his law firm a call? Lovely.
The set of quality measures used on Medicare's Nursing Home Compare website should be updated to include more measures for short-stay rehabilitation residents, according to one panel of experts. The Nursing Home Compare program measure set contains a mix of process and outcome measures for safety and prevention of mortality, but there are some gaps, according to a new report from the Measures Application Panel (MAP).
Self-reported quality and staffing information from nursing homes categorized as Special Focus Facilities (SFFs) is unreliable and should not be published on Medicare's Nursing Home Compare website, a new report suggests.
August 19, 2011
Despite looming reimbursement cuts, the quality of care in nursing homes should not decline, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said Thursday.
The redesign of the federal Nursing Home Compare website, which lets consumers file complaints more easily and compare facilities based on quality measures, is complete.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is gearing up to make changes to its Nursing Home Compare website over the next few months, the agency has noted.
March 04, 2011
The National Quality Forum on Wednesday came out in support of 21 measures to be used to care for both long-term nursing home residents and short-stay patients. These measures will be included in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' Nursing Home Compare website.
