Feds Releases List of Nation’s Worst Nursing Homes
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has released its annual report on the performance of nursing homes with a history of serious care quality issues.
The report, released Nov. 25, details the ongoing status of nursing homes enrolled in CMS’ “special focus facility” initiative.
The program requires nursing homes with a greater number of documented deficiencies and problems, such as frequent resident injuries, to undergo additional inspections by CMS and state representatives throughout the year.
Survey teams visit SFF facilities about four times a year, while most nursing homes receive twice yearly inspections, according to a statement on CMS’ Web site.
Most nursing homes have an average of six or seven deficiencies per inspection, according to the report.
Nursing homes that fall in the bottom 15 of inspected facilities in their respective states are reported to regional CMS facilities and to the state government for consideration for the SFF program, the statement says.
Long term care facilities that do not improve under the SFF initiative are subject to civil monetary penalties or termination from the Medicare and Medicaid programs.
The report also lists nursing homes that have “graduated” from the SFF initiative due to improvement in the quality of care, facilities that were recently terminated from Medicare and Medicaid participation, and new additions to the SFF program.
In addition the report includes separate charts detailing SFF nursing homes that have shown improvement in their most recent inspections and facilities that have not yet remedied cited deficiencies.
Facilities that appear on the list of unimproved facilities include the Hidden Hills Health & Rehab Center in Omaha, Neb., which failed to improve quality care standards after nearly five years as an SFF participant, according to the report.
The Hamptons Center for Nursing & Rehabilitation in Hampton, N.Y.; Lakeridge Villa Health Care in Cincinnati; and the Capital Healthcare Center in Tallahassee, Fla.; also are listed among the unimproved facilities.
The Good Samaritan Society in Junction City, Kan., is the sole listed facility that has been terminated from Medicare and Medicaid participation.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ special focus facility list is available at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/certificationandcomplianc/12_nhs.asp.
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