Local Nursing Homes Critical of Government Ratings

                                                 (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Do the research.

That's the message nursing home directors are sending to Good Medicine when asked about a new Five-Star Quality Rating System from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid.

This after the majority of nursing homes in Central New York were rated poorly--including eight homes within 20 miles of Syracuse receiving a one-star rating.

The system rates nursing homes based on three factors: health inspections, nursing staff and quality of care.

"The goal is to provide families a straightforward assessment of nursing home quality with meaningful distinctions between high and low performing homes," said CMS administrator Kerry Weems in a press release.

However, sharp criticism has followed on both ends of the rating spectrum.

Rosewood Heights Health Center in Syracuse was rated as a one-star facility. Its director Paul Scarpinato says all the information used to critique each nursing home has always been available to the public, claiming CMS is just simplifying data.

"People are just going to go so far and that’s it. It’s a simple way for someone to look and say that’s how I’m going to judge a place," Scarpinato worried.

But it isn't only the poorly-rated that are critical of the ratings. The Nottingham Residential Health Care Facility received a five-star ranking, and even its director Tracy Engle remains skeptical.

"It’s a snapshot of time that it’s looking at. The data that it’s pulling from is the information that was submitted at the time, and those characteristics change quite frequently," Engle stressed.

So if the rating system isn't all it's cracked up to be, how should you go about choosing a nursing home for a loved one?

"Look at the condition of the building, the rooms, see the interaction of the staff with the residents, talk with other folks in the area – so, people should do legwork when they’re looking at putting a family member in a facility," said Scarpinato.

Engle tends to agree.

"I would never rely on the star rating system to determine where I would put a loved one. I want to go to the facility, I want to meet the staff, I want to see the interaction between the staff and the residents, I want to see how the residents are taken care of – I want to see it for myself," Engle ads.

And it's not just nursing home directors. Weems cautions people not to rely solely on the rankings when choosing a nursing home.

"Because the quality and conditions within a nursing home can change at anytime, this stem is not intended to be the only tool families use in selecting the right nursing facility for a loved one," Weems said.