Nursing homes in one state have inflated their star rating to appear to have a higher ratings in the areas of staffing and quality measures. The staffing and quality measures are self-reported by facilities leaving room for inflation and inaccuracies. The facilities are motivated to report higher staffing rates to achieve higher ratings. Families look at these ratings to select nursing home facilities for their loved ones.
“The problem is that behind all of these numbers and all of these figures there are actual real human beings—that are our loved ones,” said a professor studying the reported numbers versus real numbers of the facilities. “We ourselves in future are very likely to be in their position, and these people unfortunately most of the time don’t have a voice.” Tools are currently under research to provide more accurate reporting methods. For more, read the story.
