President Donald Trump’s administration is moving forward with changes to a website that will make it easier for consumers to find out if nursing homes have been cited for abuse, neglect or exploitation.
The federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will, beginning Oct. 23, have on its Nursing Home Compare Website an “abuse icon” by facilities that have been cited on inspection reports for abuse that led to harm of a resident within the past year or abuse that in each of the past two years that could have led to a resident’s harm.
The icon is red and features a white hand held up as if telling people to stop.
“With today’s action, the Trump administration is putting critical information at consumers’ fingertips, empowering them and incentivizing nursing homes to compete on cost and quality,” Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma said in a prepared statement Monday.
The federal government also will update a consumer checklist to include questions about steps facilities are taking to prevent abuse. The new information will be added to the website, which offers information about “Five-Star Ratings,” which help people better understand the overall quality of care at nursing homes.
