Monday, March 26, 2012

Low nursing homes ratings

Most of the 14 nursing homes in the Iowa City area are making the grade under federal quality ratings, but two facilities with higher-than-average health inspection deficiencies have consistently received failing scores over the past three years, an analysis of government ratings shows.
Windmill Manor, a troubled Coralville nursing home that has faced numerous federal and state penalties in recent years, currently is rated as a one-star facility, the lowest grade on the government’s five-star scale. And Iowa City Rehab and Health Care is currently rated as a two-star nursing home after sub-par health inspection scores, though its management says a recent renovation and good staffing will only improve the nursing home’s quality.
The ratings are issued by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which introduced the star system in late 2008 to give consumers a better way to compare nursing homes through an online database. Administrators say the grades — which take into account health inspections, staffing ratios and self-reported quality measures — are a useful tool for families who are scouting potential facilities. But many say the system fails to paint a complete picture, and they welcome changes that are set to be implemented this year.
Officials: More to nursing homes than the ratings show | Iowa City Press Citizen | press-citizen.com

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