CMS Releases Updated Five-Star Technical Users' Guide Effective January 2025

(Dec. 17, 2024) The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has released an updated Five-Star Technical Users’ Guide effective January 2025. This comes in response to changes to four quality measures (QM) that will be used to calculate the QM domain of the Five-Star Quality Rating System at the January 2025 Care Compare refresh. The four measures are:

• New – D/C Function Score SS
• Respecified – Percentage of Residents Whose Need for Help with Activities of Daily Living Has Increased LS
• Respecified – Percentage of Residents Whose Ability to Walk Independently Worsened LS
• New – Percentage of Residents with Pressure Ulcers LS

The point ranges for the QM star ratings and QM cut points have been adjusted to lower values to maintain the same overall distribution, but communities may experience changes in their star ratings. Five-Star Analysis Reports will be distributed to LeadingAge NY members following the next Care Compare refresh on Jan. 29, 2025. If you have questions in regard to how these changes affected your ratings, contact Susan Chenail at schenail@leadingageny.org or 518-867-8383 ext. 116.