Nursing home quality scores are on the rise, federal data shows

Mark Parkinson

The quality of care in U.S. nursing homes is improving, according to newly released federal health data.

In evaluating the scores of 15,000 skilled nursing facilities across the country, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services found that the proportion of 4- and 5-Star centers has increased 4% and 4.1%, respectively. Meanwhile, the proportion of 1-Star facilities fell 7%. The data was released late last week.

The Five-Star system is a composite rating that looks at three areas: nursing home staffing, quality measures and health inspections, with five stars being the top rating.

The reason for the decline of 1-Star facilities is not entirely clear to officials at the American Health Care Association. But AHCA President and CEO Mark Parkinson said he was “excited about this positive trend, and will continue to work with CMS to do more in these critical areas.”