Special Focus Facilities
As a follow up to yesterday's blog entry about U.S. News & World Report's rankings of nursing homes is another article from U.S. News about Special Focus Facilities (SFF). Among the 15,547 nursing homes in the full set of U.S. News rankings, 131 are tagged as "Special-Focus Facilities." These homes have been singled out by the state where they operate and by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services as nursing homes with long histories of subpar or inconsistent health inspections. Here's more about SFFs:
What makes a nursing home an SFF?
A history. A single event, even a serious one such as spoiled food that sickens several residents, isn't enough. But similar findings in three consecutive inspections are one of three required SFF flags. The second is that a deficiency affected or could have affected many residents. The third is that the problem remained unresolved on follow-up inspections.
Does 131 truly reflect the number of troubled homes?
Many more could and should be added to the SFF list, say nursing home experts. But the roughly $1 million budgeted as the federal share of the cost of the extra SFF analysis and monitoring will cover no more than 135 homes. Each state can designate a number of SFFs based on its total count of nursing homes. California, for example, can submit six homes (the maximum) and Vermont one.
Should I remove my loved one from an SFF?
Not necessarily. Moving a resident who has grown used to the rhythms and routines of a home can be upsetting, even traumatic. If you are generally satisfied with the level of care, says CMS spokesperson Mary Kahn, it's better just to be watchful. "One family member who is attentive and an activist," she says, "can go a long way toward ensuring their loved one receives good care."
