CareRise, a leader in risk management for the health care industry, launched a program to help skilled health care facilities earn a five-star rating from the newly implemented ranking program implemented by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The CareRise program helps skilled facilities improve their scores in the same areas evaluated by the CMS survey:

-- health inspections

-- staffing patterns

-- quality measures

Last December, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) introduced a five-star quality rating system to help consumers choose a skilled facility for their loved ones. As more families turn to this ranking system for guidance, institutions with low ratings will find themselves losing out to higher-ranked competitors.

CareRise's five-star program gives nursing homes specific advice on how to enhance their ratings, drawing on information the company gathered as it put together its patented risk management system. The company studied hundreds of factors that influence the safety, efficiency and quality of nursing homes, and its program pinpoints exactly what a facility must do to merit the coveted five stars.

Tim Goux, founder of CareRise, feels strongly that moving forward, many families seeking the best care will use the CMS star rating as a major reason to choose or reject a nursing home. "It's much easier for a consumer to simply rely on the rating system than to read through long documents detailing the pluses and minuses of a facility or to actually tour the facility to see it firsthand. Earning a high rating is essential - just one lost admission can translate up to $70,000 a year in lost revenue for a facility," he says.

CareRise is positioned to offer its 5-star rating service to hospitals as well, Goux noted, in the event CMS expands their rating system to that sector of health care.

About CareRise

CareRise specializes in risk management with an emphasis on quality assurance using a patented method that combines industry expertise with state-of-the art technology. CareRise risk managers work with clients on-site to reduce patient hazards and to file real-time reports with insurers each month. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently approved CareRise as a Patient Safety Organization (PSO)

Source: CareRise