The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released, as expected, the Nursing Home Five-Star Quality Rating System Technical Users’ Guide for July 2024. The updated guide is effective with the monthly data refresh which feeds Care Compare. Here’s a recap of what’s changed with the Five-Star Quality Rating System:
- Staffing case-mix methodology adjusted to be based on the Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM) – and posted staffing levels will reflect this methodology
- Gap period for nurse staffing turnover adjusted from 60 days to 90 days
- CMS is updated risk-adjustment models for 4 claims-based measures to reflect the change to Section GG. Section G items will be removed from the risk-adjustment models.
- CMS is revising the thresholds for the staffing measures and claims-based QMs to keep the same distribution of points which affect these QMs.
You can view the July 24, 2024 Technical Users’ Guide here. To see more specific information about these changes, view our recent CMSCG Blog post, “Changes Coming to Nursing Home Compare This Summer” for details on CMS QSO 24-14-NH “Nursing Home Data and Care Compare Updates”