The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on Nov. 29 released the first ranking of the nation’s poor-performing nursing homes.
Release of the list was prompted by the number of facilities that were consistently providing poor quality of care, yet were periodically instituting enough improvement that they would pass one survey only to fail the next (for many of the same problems as before). Such facilities with a “yo-yo” compliance history rarely addressed underlying systemic problems that were giving rise to repeated cycles of serious deficiencies.
As of October 2007, there were 128 special focus facilities (SFFs) out of about 16,000 active nursing homes. These nursing homes, at the time of their selection as an SFF, had survey results that were among the poorest 5 percent or 10 percent in each state. Typically, these facilities achieve improved survey results after being selected for the initiative. The CMS data indicate that about 50 percent of the nursing homes identified as SFFs significantly improve their quality of care within 24-30 months, while about 16 percent are terminated from Medicare and Medicaid. Download background information on the SFF program program and a list of the SFF facilities in the "Downloads" section at the bottom of the CMS nursing home certification and compliance page.
