The federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced recently that its Web site comparing nursing homes will now identify listed facilities that have a history of poor performance.From now on, the CMS Nursing Home Compare site will label nursing homes it calls Special Focus Facilities — those that have repeatedly violated state and federal health and safety rules and that rank in the worst 5 to 10 percent of all inspected facilities in a given state. CMS released the names of the 131 SFF facilities earlier this year, but this is the first time they will also be included on the Nursing Home Compare site.The troubled facilities are identified by a small “2” in superscript next to a facility’s name.
A Wall Street Journal article on the CMS decision notes that “consumer groups and nursing home officials warn, however, that nothing can substitute for visiting a nursing home in person.” Evan Farr makes this same recommendation in his book, The Virginia Nursing Home Survival Guide, which contains a Nursing Home Evaluation Tool to help consumers compare nursing homes during personal visits. You can also find this tool on our Web site by clicking here.
The Journal article also highlights a free Web site MemberoftheFamily.net, that features easy-to-read, color-coded assessments of nursing homes nationwide.
