NIC | CARES BLOG
A place for connections, analysis, research, and education on seniors housing and care

Giving CMS’ Five-Star Quality Rating System a Second Look

By Liz Liberman, Health Care Analyst, NIC Part I: History, Developments, and an In-Depth Dive CMS’ Five-Star Quality Rating System for nursing care properties continues to be a hot topic in skilled nursing. As hospital systems and investors increasingly use it to identify potential partnerships and investments, it’s important to understand what goes into the rating a property receives. In…
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A Commitment to Quality Makes a Difference for the Industry

By Liz Liberman, Health Care Analyst, NIC As quality increasingly is key to understanding a skilled nursing property’s performance, organizations across seniors housing and care are championing quality improvements. One clear example is the American Health Care Association (AHCA), which last week publicized several moves to promote quality in the nursing home industry. AHCA is a trade association that supports…
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Beyond the Title: Second Look at David Grabowski’s Nursing Home Study

By Liz Liberman, Health Care Analyst, NIC David Grabowski, professor of Health Care Policy at Harvard Medical School, published a very interesting study in conjunction with the University of Michigan, in the May issue of Health Affairs. What caught the attention of the press was not the study itself but its attention-grabbing title: “Low-Quality Nursing Homes Were More
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Hospital – Skilled Nursing Relationship in Flux

By Liz Liberman, Health Care Analyst, NIC Recently the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) sent CMS a letter encouraging the agency to finalize a proposed rule that would improve discharge policies in hospitals and address the gaps in communication that occur during patient transitions. In California, hospitals will face the challenge of improving discharge policies even before CMS has…
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Initial Findings: NIC’s Skilled Nursing Data Report

NIC released its initial Skilled Nursing Data Report on March 10, 2016. The report included a few key data points that showed time-series data from October 2011 through December 2015. This week’s blog post provides a more detailed analysis of the current data release. Occupancy Continued Gradual Decline The decline in skilled nursing property occupancy has been a topic of…
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