"This is a new approach to bringing about better quality care in our nation's nursing homes," Thompson said. "Not only will consumers be better informed, but nursing homes themselves will be able to see more clearly what they must do to make the quality grade. They will have to compete in the quality arena. This is a broad-scale effort, and it will grow and improve over time, with improving data and new levels of collaboration to help nursing homes ensure high quality care."
The national launch of the project follows a successful six-state pilot, which involved nursing homes serving Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries in Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Ohio, Rhode Island and Washington. The pilot project launched in April 2002.
"The pilot demonstrated that these measures aren't just good for consumers, they're good for nursing homes as well," said Thompson. "Over half of the nursing homes in the six pilot states requested technical assistance to help them improve their care, and that is exactly the type of collaborative effort we envisioned -- and what we want to continue to see happen."
On Nov. 13, HHS' Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services published advertisements in 71 newspapers in all 50 states that include samples of the quality data. Complete quality data and the agency's "Guide To Choosing A Nursing Home" are available at Medicare's consumer Web site,