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How can Medicare’s five-star nursing home rating help in selecting a facility?

On Behalf of | May 24, 2021 | Long Term Care Planning | 0 comments

Few mid-life decisions are more important than choosing the right nursing home for an elderly loved one. After all, while there may be a budget to consider, you also want to find a facility that provides top-level care for those who mean the most to you. Regrettably, not all nursing homes are likely to meet this standard.

While there are many resources to help you choose a nursing home for your loved one, you may want to consider Medicare’s rating system. After conducting a comprehensive review, Medicare officials assign long-term care facilities with up to five stars.

Health inspections

When conducting their assessment, officials from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services review recent health inspections. This review is important, as nursing homes should provide the healthiest space possible for residents who may have suppressed immune systems, chronic illnesses or other risks for disease or infection.

Facility staffing

It is important that there be appropriate staff at a nursing home, depending on the type of care the facility provides. Still, all facilities should have enough professionals to meet the specific needs of residents. When rating nursing homes based on staffing, CMS officials consider how much time nurses and other health care providers spend with each patient every week.

Overall quality

Finally, CMS officials use 15 quality criteria to determine the overall level of care each rated nursing home provides. Generally, the better a nursing home scores in each of these areas, the higher its star rating is likely to be.

Picking the best nursing home for your elderly loved one may require independent research, site visits and other work. Nevertheless, because CMS has a compare feature for rated nursing homes, it is a good place to start and allow you to eliminate facilities with lower ratings.

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