High vaccination rates among staff and patient safety standards were among the common characteristics of thousands of nursing homes recognized as the “best” in the nation, according to ratings released today by U.S. News & World Report.
The organization unveiled its 2021-2022 nursing home ratings and report Tuesday, which evaluates nursing homes on both long-term and short-term care. This year’s methodology emphasized meeting high standards for patient safety, a 75% COVID-19 vaccination rate, and limiting visits to the emergency department and overuse of antipsychotic drugs.
More than 1,060 nursing homes, out of the 13,175 assessed, were designated as high-performing in the long-term care rating. Out of 13,500 facilities, about 1,650 were ranked as high-performing in the short-term rating.
The long-term care rating includes data on staffing, success in preventing ER visits and pneumonia vaccination rates. The short-term raising incorporates measures of quality including consistency of registered nurse staffing, use of antipsychotic drugs and success in preventing falls.
“This important information can help families, residents and caregivers make a decision that keeps safety and accessibility at the highest priority,” Zach Adams, health data engineer at U.S. News, said in a statement Tuesday.
Last year, more than 1,100 nursing homes were designated as high-performing in the long-term care rating. More than 2,360 were ranked as top performers in the short-term rating.
The full ratings list can be found here.
