Consumers

   Consumer Resources

Nursing Home Compare

This federal government website provides information about inspections, staffing and certain measures of quality for every Medicare and Medicaid certified nursing home in the country. It includes the government’s five-star rating system for nursing homes. 4/27/16 CMS adds Six New Quality Measures to Nursing Home Compare. In July 2016 CMS adding Five of Six New QMs to Five-STAR Quality Rating System CMS posted six new quality measures on Nursing Home Compare in April. Beginning July 27,16, five of those measures will be incorporated into the five star rating system on Nursing Home Compare. The User’s guide explains the changes made to the QM domain and additional methodological changes that will be introduced in July, including:

• Using four quarters of data rather than three for determining QM ratings.
• Reducing the minimum denominator for all measures (short-stay, long-stay, and claims-based) to 20 summed across four quarters.
• Revising the imputation methodology for QMs with low denominators meeting specific criteria. A facility’s own available data will be used and the state average will be used to reach the minimum denominator.
• Using national cut points for assigning points for the ADL QM rather than state-specific thresholds.

Questions to Ask your Doctor

Asking questions and providing information to your doctor and other care providers can improve your care. Quality health care is a team effort. You play an important role. One of the best ways to communicate with your doctor and health care team is by asking questions. Because time is limited during medical appointments, you will feel less rushed if you prepare your questions before your appointment.  Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

 Be More Involved In Your Health Care

Tips to use before, during, and after your medical appointment to make sure you get the best possible care. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

Tip Sheet for Residents and Family Members, outlines how to  ensuring quality nursing home care and gives you the 10 most important questions to ask. Advancing Excellence (AE) in America’s Nursing Homes  (www.nhqualitycampaign.org) The campaign’s website contains information about the many different aspects of the campaign and includes consumer fact sheets, access to past webinars on campaign goals, state and national progress on the goals, the campaign newsletter.

Additional AE Consumer Fact Sheets:

Decrease Symptoms of Pain

Use Medications Appropriately

Reduce Pressure Ulcers

Increase Resident Mobility

Prevent and Manage Infections Safely: C Difficile

Person Centered Care

Improve Staff Stability

Consistent Assignment

Safely Reducing Hospitalizations

NYS Gold STAMP Patient/Resident/Family Brochure produced by the Gold STAMPprogram to reduce pressure ulcers in New York State is a coalition of organizations convened to provide resources and education across the continuum of care to improve the assessment, management, and prevention of pressure ulcers.

Pioneer Network

The Pioneer Network website is a resource for consumers, nursing home administration and staff, and others about culture change. The website includes a consumer guide for finding a nursing home that has adopted culture change.

NCCNHR: The National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care
(click on “Consumer Center” and “Fact Sheet”)

The NCCNHR website provides a wide range of resources for consumers, including fact sheets on assessment and care planning, the basics of individualized care, family involvement and other topics related to nursing home care.

Alzheimer’s Association

The Alzheimer’s Association website offers information about Alzheimer’s Disease and how to recognize good care for someone with dementia, topic sheets and brochures on a variety of issues and other resources

The Next Step In Care website sponsored by the United Hospital Fund is a website that has easy to understand guides residents and their beneficiaries can use to assist in planning their health care needs after a hospital discharge, a transfer to skilled nursing facility rehabilitation, or a return home after an acute illness. New "Family Caregiver’s Guide to Care Coordination"

Community Web sites

• CMS Resource for Caregivers
• National Family Caregivers Association
• Next Step In Care
• Hard Choices