The Improvements Needed in the Quality of Nursing Homes Medicine Essay (Essay Sample)

The Improvements Needed in the Quality of Nursing Homes
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The Improvements Needed in the Quality of Nursing Homes
Introduction
A United States-based institution called Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a report on nursing home quality in October 2015 after it assessed the data collected by the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). GAO’s report showed a disparity in the collected data. In other words, the results were inconsistent. For instance, the analysis indicated an increase in complaints filed by consumers. However, trends in clinical quality measures, nurse staffing levels, and care deficiencies showed a probable improvement in the quality of nursing homes. For these two reasons, it is clear that GAO’s report established mixed results. The nursing home must meet quality standards defined by CMS to take part in the Medicaid and Medicare programs. This aspect is integral since it ensures nursing homes provide quality care to disable and elderly individuals. Therefore, it was worth for GAO to assess the data collected by CMS to ascertain the quality of nursing homes. This paper aims to illustrate the parameters used to measure the quality of nursing homes and how to improve them.