MDS Alert

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has posted more lists of facilities targeted for special assistance or monitoring.

Most recently, CMS released a national list of nursing homes targeted for quality improvement due to high-risk pressure ulcers or physical restraints based on MDS-driven quality measures publicly reported on Nursing Home Compare. The list is at www.cms.hhs.gov/QualityImprovementOrgs/Downloads/NursingHomeChart.pdf. Quality improvement organizations will work with the designated facilities with a goal of reducing pressure ulcers and physical restraints.  

CMS has also posted a list of facilities in its Special Focus Facility (SFF) program, categorizing them in various tables. Those in Table A are new to the SFF program, which targets nursing homes that fall on the lower end of survey performance in their states. 

CMS created the SFF program in 1998 to give more attention to facilities with a poor record of survey performance. Facilities in Table B are ones that have not shown improvement. Table C includes ones making progress. Table D lists those that have graduated from the SFF program. To do that, a facility has to achieve survey results demonstrating no deficiencies greater than an E within 18 months, according to attorney Howard Sollins in Baltimore. Table E includes facilities no longer participating in Medicare and Medicaid.

Before releasing this most recent list of special focus facilities, CMS published a list of the 54 worst of the poor performing facilities in its SFF program.