QSO 21-06-NH  CMS has updated the Nursing Home Compare Website and Five Star Quality Rating Systems resuming calculation of the Health Inspections and Quality Measure ratings starting on January 27, 2021 and will be transitioning to the new Care Compare website.

Updates:

• Surveys – State Survey Agencies have been instructed to resume all surveys as soon as possible. 
• Health Inspections – CMS is resuming calculation of nursing homes’ health inspections (previously suspended 3/23/2020) ratings on 1/27/2021 for inclusion in calculation of the Five Star Quality Ratings. Focused Infection Control surveys will be included in the Health Inspections rating, they will be included the same way findings from complaint inspections are used in the Five Star Quality Rating System.
• Staffing – Submission and posting of the April 2020 staffing data had been suspended, however, CMS ended the waiver on June 25, 2020. CMS has resumed required collection and updating of the Staffing Rating domain of the Five Star Quality Rating as of Oct 2020.
• QM’s – While timeframes for submitting data were waived (holding QMs constant with data through 12/31/2019), nursing homes have been submitting required data. Since CMS has the data, they are going to update quality measures including claims-based quality measures. QMs will be posted on the Nursing Home Compare website and used in the Five Star Quality Rating System updated on 1/27/2021 with data collection period ending June 30, 2020.

  These actions will also automatically result in updates to the Special Focus Facility (SFF) program, including updates to SFF candidates, and facilities’ status for receiving an icon for noncompliance related to abuse.

• Care Compare – Dec 1, 2020 the legacy Nursing Home Compare website was retired with users redirected to the new websites.
  • To search for and view information about nursing homes: https://www.medicare.gov/care-compare/
  • To view or download data about nursing homes: https://data.cms.gov/provider-data/

Questions about Five Star Quality Rating System: BetterCare@cms.hhs.gov

Questions?

Contact:

Laura Hofmann, MSN, RN – Director of Clinical and Nursing Facility Regulatory Services
c: 425-231-4804