Thirty-one state attorneys general sent a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius last Thursday, which highlighted the alleged weaknesses of CMS' Five-Star Quality Rating System for nursing homes and requested the feds suspend or revise the system.
The Five-Star Quality Rating System, which uses data from surveys, staffing rates, and quality measures to rate nursing homes on a scale of one to five stars, has faced opposition since its introduction in December 2008. Many industry leaders, associations, and long-term care providers have voiced concerns that the rating system is based on a flawed survey system and provides inaccurate information to consumers.
According to the letter from the state attorneys general, the Five-Star Quality Rating System "can be misleading and create significant confusion for seniors."
"I am very excited that the state attorneys general are calling attention to the flaws of the system because I fear that inaccurate ratings have been steering people in the wrong direction," says Deborah Franklin, director of operations at Florida Living Options in Dover, FL, and president of the Florida Health Care Association. "Minor errors or mistakes can greatly affect a facility's rating and these errors cannot be corrected right away. The system should be revised to provide consumers with more updated and useful information."
Consumers still have access to CMS' Nursing Home Compare System, which was developed before the Five-Star Quality Rating System. Therefore, if CMS decides to temporarily suspend the Five-Star Quality Rating System in order to make revisions, consumers will still have a tool to aid them in nursing home selection.
"The letter from state attorneys general is a clear indication that the rating system is flawed and should be revised, for the sake of both providers and consumers," Franklin says. "I truly hope Secretary Sebelius will see the seriousness of the issue and work toward a solution."
Anxiety is running high among hospital executives as they ponder the ever-changing healthcare proposals on Capitol Hill. Wary of changes to payment formulas and protective of their franchise, industry groups are spending millions to lobby Congress. They also pledged $155 billion in Medicare and Medicaid savings in a deal with the White House in hopes of avoiding a deeper restructuring that could cost them more.
By aggressively cutting costs and boosting revenue from medical care, Boston-based Caritas Christi Health Care is on track to post operating income of $31.1 million for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, compared to a $20.4 million loss last year. The anticipated swing of more than $50 million has been achieved through a series of moves, Caritas officials said. The chain consolidated operations at its six Eastern Massachusetts hospitals, cut jobs and froze salaries, negotiated higher reimbursement rates from insurers, and recruited more specialists to perform more complex and profitable procedures.
President Obama's supporters hope to recapture the energy of his election campaign in a bid to regain control of the healthcare debate, planning more than 2,000 house parties, rallies, and town hall meetings across the country. The initiative began with a rally in Phoenix that featured the Obama sunrise logo and placards that became fixtures of the 2008 presidential campaign.
Medicare beneficiaries would often have to pay higher premiums for prescription drug coverage, but many would see their total drug spending decline so they would save money as a result of health legislation moving through the House, the Congressional Budget Office said in a recent report. Premiums for drug coverage would rise an average of 5% in 2011, beyond the level expected under current law, and the increase would grow to 20% in 2019, the budget office said.
For years, insurers have charged older customers far more than younger ones, in part because of older residents' higher use of medical services. Now, as Congress wrestles with a healthcare overhaul aimed at covering the majority of the uninsured, that discrepancy is one area targeted for change. The outcome could affect tens of millions of people who don't get insurance through their jobs and buy it on their own, as well as some small businesses. It would not affect people who are covered by Medicare, or people who work for large companies, which usually get group rates for health coverage.
Fewer Americans are afraid that they will be unable to pay for healthcare services and fewer expect to postpone medical treatments due to costs, according to a Thomson Reuters survey. Researchers found a steady increase in people's confidence about their ability to pay for healthcare services—it rose 12% between March and July this year.
The medical clinic at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta plans to open seven kiosks offering seasonal flu shots starting Sept. 15. The clinic dispensed about 10,000 flu shots last year, and the company that runs it is expanding the service this year because it expects heavier demand. The company accepts Medicare and can provide insurance paperwork.
An analysis found that two dozen hospitals near popular travel destinations, as compiled by the National Travel Monitor, have death rates among the worst in the country. A separate analysis shows that one of every four hospitals with high death rates for heart attack, heart failure or pneumonia—94 of 402—are near state parks.
Requests for hospital chaplains—from both religious and nonreligious patients and families—are growing in part because hospitals are caring for sicker patients who are more often grappling with questions about aggressive care and death. The number of Latino patients also has grown, chaplains said, and many of these patients are deeply religious. Also, as hospitals have expanded the role and number of chaplains, they’ve become more visible and available.
