In a new S&C memo dated November 24, 2017, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) outlines changes to its Nursing Home Compare website. November 28th is the effective date for Phase 2 RoPs as well as the new Long-Term Care Survey Process (LTCSP), and with those changes, changes to the Five-Star Quality Rating and Nursing Home Compare are required. These include:
- Temporary freeze of Health Inspection Five-Star Ratings beginning in 2018 that will last approximately 12 months – The health inspection star rating for recertification surveys and complaint investigations conducted on or after November 28, 2017 will be frozen. Surveys and complaints conducted before this date will continue to be calculated in the health inspection star rating. This includes revisits and any changes that are part of a IDR/IIDR.
- Health Inspection Star Ratings will use a 2–year cycle instead of the current 3-year cycle. This change is meant to account for the 1-year cycle that would have dropped off as scheduled if the freeze was not in place. This change is expected in early 2018, along with a change to the Health Inspection survey cycle weighting. The most recent survey cycle will carry a 60% weight and the prior survey cycle will carry a 40% weighting.
- Summaries of the facility’s most recent survey findings will be included on Nursing Home Compare beginning in 2018. This is expected to include the total number of deficiencies, highest scope/severity cited and note any deficiency-free surveys. The full Statement of Deficiencies for each survey will also be posted.
CMS also notes “future improvements” to be included, mentioning the inclusion of staffing data from the Payroll-Based Journal (PBJ), without a date.
Read the full CMS S&C “Temporary Enforcement Delays for Certain Phase 2 F-tags and Changes to Nursing Home Compare” (Ref: S&C 18-04-NH). You can view our CMSCG Blog post on the Phase 2 moratorium for certain Ftags here.