On June 24, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) held an Open Door Forum to introduce the Five Star Quality Rating System that they will be incorporating on the CMS Nursing Home Compare Web site. CMS intends to have this information “live” in December of this year. The rating system would initially use three elements to rate all nursing homes across the country: survey outcomes, quality measures, and staffing data. Based on a yet-to-be-determined formula, each facility would receive a rating of between one and five stars, which, according to CMS, will denote the quality of care the facility provides. The rating system is intended to provide additional information for the general public that will assist them in choosing a nursing home. CMS requests comments about this rating system as currently proposed and suggestions about information to add moving forward.

The attached material from CMS provides additional information and  the email address for submitting comments.