New Nursing Home Compare Study Released 11/12/02

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released a report on November 12, 2002 that measured the quality of care in all 17,000 nursing homes in the United States. The report was released to help families choose a facility for themselves or family members, see information on facilities family members are living in, and to encourage and help nursing homes improve their quality of care.

Some of the quality of care indicators measured were:

• The Percentage of Residents With Pressure Sores

• The Percentage of Residents With Pain

• The Percentage of Residents in Physical Restraints

• The Percentage of Residents With Infections

In the report it was noted that the national average daily work hours given by the entire group of nurses or nursing assistants per resident is now 3.8 hours. The average number of residents with pressure sores is eight percent.

For more information, visit: www.medicare.gov/NHCompare/Home.asp.