Ohio's nursing homes fare poorly in new rating system created by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

In a report issued on December 18, Ohio ranked second, only behind Texas, in the number of one star nursing home facilities (278), the lowest ranking available. Only 9.4% of Ohio's nursing homes received a five star ranking. Ohio has 953 nursing homes and ranks third in the total number of homes in the country.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the federal agency which administers Medicare and Medicaid, released its findings on the quality of nearly 16,000 nursing homes throughout the United States. The new rating system assigns homes one to five stars for quality, staffing and health inspections, plus an overall score. Ratings are based on complex data drawn from state inspections and reports on staffing and other measures provided by the nursing homes.

The overall rating was heavily influenced by how well homes scored on staffing and on 10 quality measures, including how well a home responds to residents' declining mobility, high-risk bedsores and pain. The rating also factored in whether facilities use excessive physical restraint.

CMS published the ratings on its Nursing Home Compare Web site where people can search for a particular nursing home to view its rating. CMS encourages people to use the quality ratings together with other information they get about nursing homes, such as by talking with their doctor or other health care provider, visiting nursing homes and talking to the staff, and contacting their state Long-Term Care Ombudsman.