The government this month announced major changes to its five-star rating system for nursing homes, a widely used consumer tool that had been criticized for relying on data supplied by the homes themselves.
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Under the new system, the homes will have to begin reporting their staffing levels quarterly using an electronic system that can be verified with payroll data, says a story in the New York Times.
And officials will initiate a nationwide auditing program aimed at checking whether the so-called quality measures rating – based on information collected on every patient – is accurate.
Beginning in January, homes’ ratings will also be based partly on the percentage of patients being given anti-psychotic drugs.
The new system eventually will also allow consumers to view other statistics like staff turnover, another key measure of quality.
President Obama signed into law a bipartisan bill that provides $11 million in funding to set up an electronic collection system. It also calls for more frequent inspections of hospices.
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