AGING AND DISABILITY SERVICES ADMINISTRATION

2005 NH "Dear Administrator " Letters

May 25, 2005

ADSA: NH #2005-010
STAFFING DATA ON NURSING HOME COMPARE

Dear Nursing Facility/Home Administrator:

The Nursing Home Compare (NHC) web site was established to help consumers make informed choices about nursing homes. CMS is continuing to improve the accuracy and comprehensiveness of information in the NHC web site.

One way of improving the information in the web site is to incorporate edits to staffing data on NHC so that it is more accurate. CMS will be applying the edits in July, which will result in the temporary exclusion or revision to some facilities staffing data. Prior to implementing those edits, CMS is asking Residential Care Services (RCS) and some providers to validate pertinent information.

CMS has identified several facilities in Washington with questionable staffing data. RCS will verify the data entered by the state agency from hard copies submitted by the provider, and then correct any data entry errors that have been identified. If there are no data entry errors, RCS will send a letter to the provider and ask them to confirm or correct the staffing information in the hard copies that the provider had submitted to the state agency. If the provider is unable to check the data because the survey records are not easily accessible, then the NHC will exclude the provider’s staffing data until the provider’s next standard survey.

See the related memo, S&C 05-24, sent to state agencies, on the CMS website at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/medicaid/survey-cert/sc0524.pdf

If you have any questions, contact Nancy Brubaker, Quality Assurance Research Program Manager, at (360) 725-2416 or brubanf@dshs.wa.gov.

Sincerely,

Joyce Pashley Stockwell, Director
Residential Care Services