Image of nurses' hands at computer keyboard

Sen. Robert Casey (D-PA) is calling for the government to investigate Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Five-Star Quality Rating System.

He asked for the Government Accountability Office to conduct an assessment. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) joined Casey’s push for closer scrutiny. The Five-Star system is part of the CMS’ Nursing Home Compare web tool.

“While we acknowledge recent CMS steps to update the Five-Star ratings and improve nursing home quality on a broader scale, media reports continue to raise questions about the system’s integrity,” Casey wrote in a letter to the GAO.

Casey asked for the agency to examine the steps CMS takes to ensure the data used in Five-Star is reliable and timely, whether  there are meaningful differences between star levels and how the number and types of complaints a nursing home receives align with the rating system. He also asked for insights into how people use the Nursing Home Compare tool. 

The Five-Star system was rebased earlier this year