Impact of voluntary accreditation on short-stay rehabilitative measures in U.S. nursing homes.

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Abstract

PURPOSE:

To examine accreditation from nursing homes accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) and whether this is associated with improved rehabilitation care.

DESIGN:

Cross-sectional association of CARF accreditation and quality.

METHODS:

Comparison of the short-stay quality measures (influenza and pneumococcal vaccination; pain; delirium; pressures sores; five-star quality and health inspection scores) between the sample of 246 CARF-accredited homes compared with the 15,393 nursing homes in the 2010 On-Line Survey Certification of Automated Records (OSCAR).

FINDINGS:

CARF-accredited nursing homes demonstrate better quality with regard to the short-stay quality measures.

CONCLUSIONS:

Approaches beyond traditional regulation and governmental inspections are necessary to improve the quality of care in nursing homes.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE:

During a patient's rehabilitation stay, minimizing iatrogenic complications is paramount. Given the findings of this study, it is unfortunate that very few nursing homes are CARF accredited.