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Post-acute provider continues to lead industry in quality and patient satisfaction

PORTLAND, Ore. (June 20, 2017) ─ West Hills Health & Rehabilitation, a Platinum Service community, is proud to announce that for the third annual year, it has received an overall 5-star rating by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. In addition, this is the first year that the Center has been recognized with 5-star ratings in all subcategories, which include: health inspections, staffing, and quality measures.

The Five Star Quality Rating System helps consumers compare nursing homes. Each home is rated on a 1- to 5-star score, which comes from individual ratings in three different area of facility performance, including: health inspection, staffing, and quality measures.

“Quality care is our top priority, and these results validate the hard work and commitment to excellence exemplified by our team,” said Nicole Easley, Executive Director. “Quality metrics are now the preferred standard for evaluating healthcare providers of all types. We are both proud and honored to earn independent, outside recognition as the industry leader in providing consistent quality care that meets and exceeds the needs and expectations of the residents and families we are privileged to serve.”

CMS star ratings are highly respected performance indicators for home health providers and viewed as a key differentiator in the post-acute care industry. As healthcare providers seek ways to better support the health and well-being of their patients both within and outside hospital settings, effective post-acute care solutions are growing in importance. Facilities with five stars, like West Hills Health & Rehabilitation, are considered to have “much above average quality.”

In fall 2016, Medicare changed the five-star rating system, making the higher rating much more difficult to reach. Before the change, about 80 percent of nursing homes received either a four- or five-star rating in the category of quality measures. Under the new system, only about 49 percent of nursing homes have achieved this status.

The government estimates that 1.5 million people use the rankings, which are available at Medicare.gov in the Nursing Home Compare section. Nursing home leaders and associates watch the ratings even more closely than most consumers, using them to gauge performance and proudly sharing their superior ranking with current and prospective residents and their families.

Health Inspections

This rating is based on how well the facility meets Medicare’s minimum quality requirements. Each facility is reviewed at least annually. The results of the last three years’ worth of inspections comprise of the score. The most recent inspection carries the greatest weight.

Staffing

This rating looks at the number of hours of care provided to each resident each day. This information is “acuity based”, meaning it considers the care needs of the resident when looking at the number of staff available. This measure looks at both RN staff and total nursing staff.

Quality Measures

This rating looks at 11 different clinical and physical characteristics of nursing home residents, and compares the facility is caring for the residents’ physical and clinical needs.

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