Skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) around the country are feeling the effects of the recent changes to Nursing Home Compare rating methodology by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Since implementing the payroll-based journal staffing requirements, there has been an increase in SNFs dropping to one-star staffing ratings. According to an investigation led by the Dayton Daily News[1] , 22 percent of SNFs in Ohio now have a one-star rating,” a jump from 14 percent just two years ago.”

That number is likely to have increased the week of April 22 as more changes took effect in the Nursing Home Compare system. On Wednesday, the staffing threshold for receiving a 1-star rating was lowered from seven days per quarter without a registered nurse on-site to four days.

In response, the American Health Care Associate (AHCA) stated in a press release[2] , “By moving the scoring ‘goal posts’ for two components of the Five-Star system, CMS will cause more than 30 percent of nursing centers nationwide to lose one or more stars overnight—even though nothing changed in staffing levels and in quality of care, which is still being practiced and delivered every day.”

Using Staffing Data to your Advantage

Although the payroll data SNFs submit to CMS is used to generate facility ratings and ultimately educate consumers, it can also be used for other purposes. Anyone willing to take the time to extract and interpret data from the CMS website will have the information needed to:

• Compare staffing levels among facilities within a specific geographic footprint
• Find inconsistencies or fluctuations in staffing levels at a facility during a certain period of time
• Quantify the hours of direct care provided to residents by nursing staff
• Create a narrative around the level of care provided, to be used in claims and litigation

About Excelas

Excelas helps our clients use their staffing data to gain insight into their facility’s operations. We condense and simplify thousands of payroll staffing data entries into a report that’s is easy to read and understand. Contact us for more information on our Staffing Scorecard.

Sources:
[1] Dayton Daily News
[2] AHCA Press Release