Regulatory Issues
CMS' Five-Star Rating Information
Despite concerns from the long term care provider community, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released its new Five-Star Quality Rating System in December 2008. CMS states that facilities are ranked on three performance measures: Health Inspection Surveys, Staffing, and Quality Measures .
In developing the Five-Star system, CMS essentially disregarded all input from providers, including that submitted by Health Care Council of Illinois. Instead, it created a flawed index based on a broken survey system with compliance data already available to consumers. Rather than create a proper system which could have motivated providers and assisted consumers, we now have a system which frustrates providers and confuses consumers.
As a service to members of ICLTC and IHCA, HCCI has created this Web page to centralize all its information on Five-Star. Included are newsletters with pertinent information, talking points prepared by HCCI's Director of Communication Kevin Kavanaugh, HCCI's original letter to CMS, and a link to the CMS Five-Star information page, which includes the Five-Star Technical User's Guide and other relevant information.
CMS has a Five-Star page on its Web site with many resources for providers, including a Question and Answer document and a Technical Users' Guide.
http://www.cms.hhs.gov/CertificationandComplianc/13_FSQRS.asp
To see your facility's five-star rating click here
LTC Talking Points for LTC Facilities
Above average facility talking points
Below average facility talking points
HCCI
Web site © The Health Care Council of Illinois 2009.
