An online Federal rating system for nursing homes has been implemented; some people find it very helpful, while others find many flaws with the system.  The website, Nursing Home Compare, was created by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) allowing visitors to compare the 15,600 nursing homes in America, which have received their own rating.

The rating system follows a five star scale, and measures the nursing homes based on inspection results, the number of employees versus number of patients, and the number of hours the nursing home provides.  But it’s not all perfect; “…there’s debate among industry and consumer groups about how well it’s meeting the public’s needs. The federal agency that runs the site plans to survey users later this year on exactly that question” notes the Washington Post and Kaiser Health News.

The Industry is complaining that the system was set in place much too quickly; the information being put-forth is inaccurate and thus is misleading to consumers and patients. Consumer groups would like to see more detailed information about the quality of care, rather than just simply recording the number of employees.  The industry and consumers alike believe the way in which the system assesses staffing needs to be reworked.

The site has been operating for six months now, but it is hard to tell if it has made any significant difference.  CMS reports it receives 50,000 visitors a day, but nursing homes and patient advocates believe that many people are still unaware that it exists.