On December 18, 2008 the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will unveil the "Five Star Quality Rating System" on Nursing Home Compare. Nursing homes will receive an Overall Rating that is based on facility performance on three types of performance measures: Health Inspections, Staffing, and Quality Measures. Nursing Home Compare will also display the star ratings for each of the three performance measures alongside the Overall Rating. Nursing homes with five stars are considered to have much above average quality and nursing homes with one star are considered to have quality much below average.

Beginning the morning of December 16, 2008 nursing home providers will receive a preview of their individual rating via their electronic connection to their State servers for submission of Minimum Data Set data. Providers should check their mailboxes beginning December 16, 2008.

Please contact your local district office if you have any additional questions.

Sincerely,

Original Signed by Kathleen Billingsley, R.N.

Kathleen Billingsley, R.N.
Deputy Director