Beginning October 23rd, nursing homes that have been cited for abuse that either caused harm or had the potential to cause harm will be indicated on Nursing Home Compare with a special icon. Additionally, star ratings for nursing homes with this icon will be capped at 2 stars for the health inspection rating, resulting in a maximum overall star rating no higher than 4 stars.
CMS also announced that 2 quality measures will be removed from Nursing Home Compare. The short-stay and long-stay measures for residents who report moderate to severe pain will be removed from Nursing Home Compare and the 5-Star Quality Rating System.
For more details on the Five Star changes read the Memo from CMS.