Chicago, IL—When discussing long-term care options with a loved one and/or close family members, it’s important to consider the nursing homes that are meeting state and federal rules and regulations as well as those that are being recognized for having recurring deficiencies. With all the information the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) makes available to the public, finding this information has become much easier to do.
What is the Special Focus Facility (SSF) Program, and how does it help you identify which nursing homes in Illinois have deficiencies?
The SFF program was created by CMS to help address an ongoing issue that affects the health and wellbeing of nursing home residents—a lack of compliance from nursing homes. There are many nursing homes in Illinois today that neglect to follow CMS’ health care standards and the SFF program aims to identify them.
While CMS says most nursing homes do have deficiencies, generally averaging around six to seven, many allow the lack of compliance to develop into a pattern. These are the homes that become enrolled in the SFF program.
Here’s how the SFF program works
CMS uses a point system to determine which facilities become candidates for the SFF program. When a home is cited for a deficiency, points are assigned to the home. The more deficiencies a home is cited for, the more points it receives. Deficiencies that are considered serious in nature also result in more points being assigned.
CMS says that the “facilities with the most points in a state then become candidates for the SFF program.” The homes on the SFF program list are subject to a “full, onsite inspection of all Medicare health and safety requirements every six months.” The agency also “recommends progressive enforcement” until the home graduates out of the program or is no longer entitled to receive funding from Medicare and/or Medicare.
Enforcement might include a home being fined or having Medicare payments denied.
Which Illinois nursing homes are current candidates for the SFF program?
CMS recently issued a new list of nursing homes participating in the SFF program. The homes are separated into six categories which include:
- New Additions- These are homes that were recently added to the list but have not yet had their inspection.
- Not Improved– Homes identified as “not improved” are those that “have failed to show significant improvement despite being given the opportunity to show improvement in at least one inspection.”
- Improving– These homes have shown improvement since their most recent inspection. Although improvement is good, CMS won’t immediately graduate a home from the program until continuous improvement is shown.
- Recently Graduated- A home that falls into this category is one that “not only improved, but they sustained significant improvement for about 12 months” during which time they had two inspections.
- No Longer in Medicare and Medicaid- These are homes that voluntarily left the program or were terminated due to a lack of compliance.
- SFF Candidate list- The homes that are placed on the “SFF Candidate list” are those that qualify to be placed in the program.
Below you’ll find a list of the homes located in Illinois that fall into one of these six categories.
Newly Added
- University Rehab, Urbana, IL
Not Improved
- Generations At Rock Island, Rock Island, IL
Shown Improvement
- Aperion Care Capitol, Springfield, IL
- Elevate Care Waukegan, Waukegan, IL
Recently Graduated
- Aperion Care Bradley, Bradley, IL
SFF Candidate List
- Aperion Care Chicago Heights, Chicago Heights, IL
- Arcadia Care Danville, Danville, IL
- Arista Healthcare, Naperville, IL
- Bria of Belleville, Belleville, IL
- Champaign Urbana Nursing & Rehab, Savoy, IL
- Gardenview Manor, Danville, IL
- Integrity HC of Belleville, Belleville, IL
- Integrity HC of Smithton, Smithton, IL
- Landmark of Richton Park Rehab & Nursing Center, Richton Park, IL
- Lena Living Center, Lena, IL
- The Loft Rehab of Rock Springs, Decatur, IL
- Manor Court of Clinton, Clinton, IL
- New Athens Home for the Aged, New Athens, IL
- River Crossing of Rockford, Rockford, IL
- Sharon Health Care Willows, Peoria, IL
- Stephenson Nursing Center, Freeport, IL
- Sunset Rehabilitation & Health Center, Canton, IL
- Symphony of Chicago West, Chicago, IL
- Watseka Rehab & Health Care Center
- West Suburban Nursing & Rehab Center
Get help with choosing a nursing home that is going to be right for your loved one
Homes that are consistently recognized for having compliance issues are those that often “pose risks to residents’ health and safety,” according to CMS. That is why it is important to conduct thorough research on any homes you are considering before relocating your loved one. If you have questions about the nursing homes in Chicago or need to know what to look for in a nursing home, contact Dinizulu Law Group, Ltd. to speak with a Chicago, IL nursing home abuse lawyer.
At Dinizulu Law Group, Ltd., our Chicago nursing home abuse attorneys are committed to protecting our aging population and are here to help you identify signs of an unsafe nursing home to help prevent your loved one from becoming of abuse and neglect.
You can contact Dinizulu Law Group, Ltd. at:
221 North La Salle Drive, Suite 1100
Chicago, IL 60601
Phone: 1-312-384-1920
Website: www.dinizululawgroup.com
