Association Between Nursing Home Five-Star Ratings and Consumer Satisfaction

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Quality
• Gerontology
• Health Services Research

Background:

• The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Five-Star Quality Rating System for nursing homes (NHs) lacks consumer satisfaction data.
• Informed decision-making by consumers is hindered without access to quality-of-life and satisfaction measures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between CMS Five-Star Quality Rating System scores and family/resident satisfaction in Ohio NHs.

Main Methods:

• Secondary data analysis of a unique dataset of 701 Ohio NHs.
• Utilized 2018 star rating data, 2018 Ohio Nursing Home Family Satisfaction Survey, 2017 Ohio Nursing Home Resident Satisfaction Survey, and other relevant NH data.
• Employed chi-square and logistic regression analyses, controlling for NH characteristics.

Main Results:

• Consumer satisfaction and NH star ratings were found to be correlated, though imperfectly.
• Higher family satisfaction scores were significantly associated with higher overall and health inspection star ratings.
• Increased resident satisfaction scores were also significantly linked to higher overall star ratings across all domains.

Conclusions:

• While imperfect, consumer satisfaction scores show an association with NH Five-Star Quality Ratings.
• Publicly reporting NH consumer perspectives is crucial for enabling informed care choices.
• Future research should explore incorporating patient-reported outcomes and satisfaction into quality rating systems.