We recently reported on the broken system the government created to rate and compare nursing homes. After massive outcry from the public and industry insiders, the federal government is now taking immediate action to strengthen the Nursing Home Compare website so many families rely on to find quality nursing homes.
Nursing Home Compare is the Medicare website that ranks, grades, and compares almost every nursing home in the country. One of the largest problems with this website is that much of the information on the nursing homes are self-reported by the facilities. More often than not, the self-reported quality measures were much, much higher than the quality of care residents actually received.
This meant that many negligent and poorly-run nursing homes were rated highly on Nursing Home Compare when, in reality, they were understaffed and residents were routinely mistreated. Understaffed nursing homes often use drugs to control or subdue residents – a practice known as chemical restraints – which is a major focus of the government’s new overhaul.
Specifically, the government is making it harder for nursing homes to get high-quality rankings by increasing the scrutiny on
antipsychotic drug use. Antipsychotics are medications like Seroquel, Zyprexa, Abilify and Risperdal that should never be given to elderly people with dementia, as it increases their risk of death. These drugs should ONLY be given to patients with severe mental conditions, such as schizophrenia, psychotic depression and bipolar disorder.
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The grades on Nursing Home Compare are in the form of five-star ratings. The system was created in 2008 as a critical tool to help concerned, confused families determine the best nursing home to place their loved ones. The site profiles more than 15,000 nursing homes, comparing them based on: quality measures, staffing levels, and government inspections.
Both staffing levels and quality measures are determined, as mentioned, by self-reported data. This is problematic for obvious reasons; nursing homes should not be held to the honor code when they are responsible for the health and safety of our country’s most vulnerable citizens.
The “quality measures” section involves many factors, such as how many residents develop bed sores or are injured in falls. In the new government guidelines, this group will now also measure how many residents receive antipsychotic drugs. This information will still be reported to Medicaid by the nursing homes themselves. There are also new guidelines establishing verification of self-reported staffing levels.
Without a doubt, more information is always better when rating nursing homes, however, the data sources need to be more reliable. The new ratings that include resident antipsychotic use will be live on the Nursing Home Compare website on February 20, 2015.
At Pintas & Mullins, we understand how hard it is to entrust the care of your loved one to someone else. If your loved one’s nursing home has been negligent or abusive, our Illinois elder abuse attorneys can help. Contact us today for a free consultation.
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