CMS to Add 5-Star Rating to Nursing Home Comparison Tool

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will be adding a new feature to its Nursing Home Compare website.

CMS announced that by December 2008, America's nursing homes will receive "star" ratings, from one star (much below average) to five stars (much above average). Currently, consumers can search for nursing homes and find individual measures of care quality, staffing, and results of state survey inspections. The new rating system will allow people to find overall assessments of each nursing home; CMS hopes that the rating system will also motivate nursing homes to improve their quality of care.

CMS acknowledges that the rating system should not be used as the only piece of information when choosing a nursing home. Kerry Weems, CMS acting administrator, asserted that there's no substitute for visiting a facility in person and "meeting with staff, residents, and other families."

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