LeadingAge NY Seeks Further Changes to Nursing Home Quality Pool

In a March 18 letter, LeadingAge New York recommended further revisions to DOH’s proposal for a 2013 nursing home quality pool. DOH’s proposal would score and compare facilities’ performance based on: (1) up to 13 quality measures (60 points); (2) compliance measures including survey and data reporting (20 points); and (3) potentially avoidable hospitalizations (20 points).

Our comments call for appropriate risk adjustment of selected quality measures; greater emphasis on staffing measures based on solid data; accounting for variations in the survey process; and changes to the avoidable hospitalizations measure. We also continue to urge DOH to identify an alternate funding source for the $50 million quality pool rather than making further across-the-board reductions to facilities’ Medicaid rates. We extend thanks to the LeadingAge NY Nursing Facility Cabinet for providing feedback on the DOH proposal.

Contact: Dan Heim dheim@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8866