December 13, 2022 — The Skilled Care Unit at Trinity Medical Center East was recently awarded a five-star rating by The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), which is part of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
“The Five-Star Quality Rating System is based on staffing data, quality measures, and annual surveys,” Lori Damis, Director of Nursing – Skilled Care, said. “Staffing data is submitted quarterly. Quality Measure Data is submitted per resident stays, and surveys are usually completed on an annual basis.”
Achieving a five-star rating requires a sophisticated level of awareness from the entire staff.
“It takes all staff knowing and understanding the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) Guidelines and regulations and ensuring compliance with these on a consistent basis,” Damis said. “Our Skilled Care team is kept up-to-date on the measures and guidelines, and the team is proactive in making the necessary changes to continue to meet the guidelines.”
The team gathers weekly to discuss all residents, and nurses coordinate daily with the manager to ensure guidelines are being followed. The support team meets monthly as a whole to discuss Quality Improvement Measures. This includes nurses, State Tested Nursing Assistants (STNAs), clerical staff, activities coordinator, medical staff, management staff, therapy, dietary, housekeeping, maintenance, clergy, and any support services for Skilled Care.
CMS utilizes a Five-Star Quality Rating System to provide the public with an easy-to-understand summary of Nursing Home Quality, Damis said. The overall quality rating is based on three dimensions, including health inspection results, staffing, and quality measures. All nursing homes that participate in Medicare and Medicaid are rated from one star to five stars. This information is then publicly reported.
“It takes the entire team to provide quality care to our residents,” Damis said.
The Skilled Care Unit Team: Front row – Lori Damis, Director of Nursing, Skilled Care; Don and Lisa Starr, Activities Coordinator; Back Row – Staci Armstrong, RN; Erin Moores, RN, Case Manager; Stephanie Wilson, RN Supervisor; Gary Kimball, Unit Clerk; and Tim Armstrong, RN
Per the CMS website: CMS created the Five-Star Quality Rating System to help consumers, their families, and caregivers compare nursing homes more easily and to help identify areas about which you may want to ask questions. The Nursing Home Care Compare web site features a quality rating system that gives each nursing home a rating of between 1 and 5 stars. Nursing homes with 5 stars are considered to have much above average quality and nursing homes with 1 star are considered to have quality much below average. There is one Overall 5-star rating for each nursing home, and separate ratings for health inspections, staffing and quality measures.