How Does Medicare Rate Nursing Homes?

Friday, August 16, 2013

How Does Medicare Rate Nursing Homes?

Written by Malman Law, reviewed by Steve J. Malman.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services attempts to make sure prospective residents and their loved ones know how to choose a nursing home. One way Medicare identifies nursing homes is through its rating system, which rates nursing homes in the United States based on a scale of one to five stars, with one being the lowest quality and five being the highest. Medicare updates these ratings according to the results of recent inspections. In the event of neglect or abuse at a nursing home, nursing home abuse attorneys can help recover the compensation that residents deserve.

Citing of Deficiencies

One of the determinants in a facility’s overall Medicare rating is the number of deficiencies—as well as their degree of danger—found in nursing homes through inspections. Noted deficiencies in environment, staff, resident care, pharmaceutical services and others factor into the final decided rating. Specific deficiencies and the level of danger they possess are listed in Medicare reports to help inform past, current and prospective residents about a facility’s condition. The amount of time staff pays attention to residents is also detailed, in comparison to state and national standards. The organization then uses the one-to-five-star scaling system to rate the home anywhere from “much below average” to “much above average.”

A Trustworthy Guide

Medicare frequently updates each nursing home’s page soon after an inspection takes place, and can actually alter a facility’s rating from the “below average” range to an “average” or even “much above average,” depending on the improvements made. Medicare is a good way to see if the nursing homes you consider are providers of quality care.

If you find that a nursing home fails to meet Medicare’s standards of resident care, contact a nursing home abuse lawyer for representation today.