 |
|
|||||
|
Local elderly care facilities get 'much below average' rating
Industry officials critical of ratings system
The government agencies set out to condense health inspection reports and many other measures, from the amount of staff at a facility to things like the percentage of residents who need catheters or who received flu vaccinations, into a quick-glance five-star rating system that allows consumers to compare how facilities shape up. The two rated facilities in Gaffney — Peachtree Centre and Brookview Healthcare Center — each were given an overall rating of just one-star, which the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services deems "much below average." A Peachtree Centre official couldn't be reached for immediate comment Friday afternoon about the ratings and a Brookview Healthcare Center administrator declined comment because she hadn't researched the CMS ratings yet. While it's brand new, the new rating system already has touched off criticisms from nursing home operators across the country and trade groups representing the industry. "The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services five-star rating system is a great idea prematurely implemented," the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging said in a Dec. 17 position statement just prior to the launch of the CMS five-star program. "We support a consumer-friendly nursing home rating system based on reliable quality information that the public can understand. But what is being launched (Dec. 18) is poorly planned, prematurely implemented and ham-handedly rolled out." Even before the new ratings were launched, the trade group was recommending changes to how the ratings are derived. The CMS, meanwhile, gave no indications it was going to change anything as the program was being launched. "Our goal in developing this unprecedented quality rating system is to provide families a straightforward assessment of nursing home quality, with meaningful distinctions between high and low performing homes," CMS acting administrator Kerry Weems said last Thursday in announcing the new program. "The new information will also help consumers and families identify important questions to ask nursing homes and challenge nursing homes to improve their quality of care." The new rating system takes already collected and available information, such as annual health inspection reports done by state inspectors, and gives nursing facilities separate star ratings for health inspections, nursing home staffing, quality measures, and an overall rating. A one-star rating is deemed much below average while a five-star ranking is deemed much above average. A three-star rating is average under the new rating system. The CMS said just 12 percent of all rated nursing homes received five-stars under the new rating system, while 22 percent, or more than one in five, received just one-star. The 97-bed Peachtree Centre, listed in the CMS rankings as the Cherokee County LTC (long term care) Facility, received a one-star rating for health inspections, a twostar rating for nursing home staffing, and a three-star rating for quality measures. Brookview Healthcare Center received two out of five stars for health inspections and nursing home staffing and one out of five stars for quality measures. Of the 13 rated nursing facilities within a 25-mile radius of Gaffney, five received overall ratings of one-star; three received overall ratings of two-stars; three received overall ratings of four-stars; and two received overall five-star ratings. The facilities rated fivestar were the 10-bed CMH Skilled Unit in Boiling Springs and the 88-bed Valley Falls Terrace Nursing Home in Spartanburg. The four-star rated facilities included the 25-bed Spartanburg Hospital for Restorative Care in Spartanburg, the 88-bed White Oaks Estates in Spartanburg, and the 120- bed Cleveland Pines Nursing Center in Shelby, N.C. You can check out the ratings, as well as the health and safety inspection reports, and compare nursing facilities at: http://www.medicare.gov/NH Compare/. HOW THEY RATE The Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services last week unveiled a new five-star rating system to help consumers compare nursing homes. The government ratings range from one star (much below average) to five stars (much above average). Here's how the 13 rated nursing facilities within a 25-mile radius of Gaffney stacked up on an overall basis under the new system: Five star: CMH - Skilled Unit, Boiling Springs Valley Falls Terrace Nursing Home, Spartanburg Four star: White Oaks Estates, Spartanburg Spartanburg Hospital for Restorative Care, Spartanburg Cleveland Pines Nursing Center, Shelby Three star: None listed within 25 miles of Gaffney Two star: White Oak Manor, Shelby, N.C. White Oak Manor, Spartanburg Magnolia Place, Spartanburg One star: Brookview Healthcare Center, Gaffney Cherokee County LTC Facility, Gaffney Century Care of Shelby, Shelby, N.C. Mountainview Nursing Home, Spartanburg Magnolia Manor, Spartanburg |
      |
||||
