Abstract

Abstract

This BIS 437 project will focus on “Quality Measures/Five Star rating: The Quality of Care in Long-Term Care Facilities.” Medical professionals and administrative staff members working in long-term care facilities spend a large portion of their time focused on meeting quality measures and achieving high marks in the Five Star rating system. But how is the quality of a long-term care facility measured? What is the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Five Star rating and how are these statistics used to help improve quality of care? The future of long-term care in the United States is at the mercy of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services because funding is determined through the agency’s Five Star rating.

In order to examine the present-day rating system and look ahead to the future, one must first look at the past and explore the multiple changes the Five Star rating system has undergone since it was first established in 1987. How did this system work in the past and how does it work today? Is this system accurate when it comes to determining the quality of care residents receive on a daily basis at long-term care facilities? What changes can be expected in the future?

Many scholarly journals include research and personal stories from medical professionals who point out the challenges created by the Five Star system and the need for changes. But do constant changes to the system help our elders receive better care? Is this system helpful to the public? How is the Five Star rating system used by hospitals?

In conclusion, this system appears flawed. How can the system be fixed? What can long-term care employees do to survive in the future? How can the current system be used in a more effective manner?

Year Manuscript Completed

Fall 2018

Senior Project Advisor

G. Michael Barton

Degree Awarded

Bachelor of Integrated Studies Degree

Field of Study

Health Care Administration

Document Type

Thesis - Murray State Access only

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