Do trends in the reporting of quality measures on the nursing home compare web site differ by nursing home characteristics?
OBJECTIVE
This study examines the relationship between the first set of quality measures (QMs) published by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on the Nursing Home Compare Web site and five nursing home structural characteristics: ownership, chain affiliation, size, occupancy, and hospital-based versus freestanding status.


METHODS
Using robust linear regressions, we examined the values of the QMs at first publication and their change over the first five reporting periods, in relation to facility characteristics.


RESULTS
There were significant baseline differences associated with these facility characteristics. Pain, physical restraints, and delirium exhibit a clear downward trend, with differences between the first QM reporting period and the fifth ranging from 12.7% to 46.0%. However, there were only minimal differences in trends associated with facility characteristics. This suggests that the relative position of facilities on these measures did not change much within this time period. The variation by facility type was larger for the short-stay QMs than for the long-stay measures.


CONCLUSIONS
Those QMs that show an improvement exhibit it across all types of facilities, irrespective of initial quality levels. Although a number of alternatives may explain this positive trend, the trend itself suggests that report cards, to the extent that they are effective, are so for all facility types but only some QMs.
Zinn
Jacqueline
J
Department of Risk, Insurance and Healthcare Management, Fox School of Business and Management, Temple University, Philadelphia PA 19122, USA. Jacqueline.Zinn@temple.edu
Spector
William
W
Hsieh
Lillian
L
Mukamel
Dana B
DB
D014487:Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, U.S.; D006707:Homes for the Aged / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D020407:Internet; D016014:Linear Models; D019221:Mandatory Reporting; D009735:Nursing Homes / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D017749:Total Quality Management; D014481:United States