The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently handed over a list of under-performing nursing homes to two U.S. Senators from Pennsylvania, Bob Casey (D) and Pat Toomey (R). Casey and Toomey inquired about some 400 nursing homes that were not chosen to participate in the Special Focus Facility program (SFF), therefore the facilities weren’t released to the public. When CMS refused to release the list, Casey and Toomey released it instead.
Ten Georgia facilities are on the list, meaning they have a documented pattern of poor care, but were not chosen for the SFF program.
A Special Focus Facility is a nursing home or long-term care facility that fails to meet specified criteria, so they are put on a public list. The facilities found on the Special Focus Facility list fail to meet the standard quality of care – or have in the past — and are currently included in a special program to make improvements.
CMS rates Medicare- and Medicaid-certified nursing homes based on health inspection status, quality of resident care measures, and staffing. “Best” nursing homes receive five stars, which is considered “much above average.” “Worst” nursing homes receive one star, which is considered “much below average.”
Georgia Facilities on the Recently
Released List Include:
Special Focus Facility Candidates
- East Lake Arbor, Decatur (1-star)
- Pleasant View Nursing Center, Metter (1-star)
- Westminster Commons, Atlanta (1-star)
- Brentwood Health and Rehabilitation, Waynesboro (1-star)
- PruittHealth, Blue Ridge (1-star)
- Northeast Atlanta Health and Rehabilitation Center, Atlanta (1-star)
- LaGrange Health and Rehab, LaGrange (1-star)
- Windermere Health and Rehabilitation Center, Augusta (1-star)
- Clinch Healthcare Center, Homerville (1-star)
Special Focus Facility
- Pinehill Nursing Center, Byromville (no rating listed)
“In order to provide greater transparency to individuals and families, Senators Casey and Toomey requested the names of these additional facilities be made publicly available by CMS,” a press release sent out by Casey’s office reads. “After CMS chose not to release this list, Senators Casey and Toomey are releasing this information alongside a report with additional background and context.”
View the report from Casey and Toomey here
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