AGING AND DISABILITY SERVICES ADMINISTRATION

2008 NH "Dear Administrator" Letters

October 31, 2008

ADSA:  NH #2008-016
Special Focus Facility (SFF) SCORING

Dear Nursing Facility/Home Administrator:

The purpose of this letter is to let you know about the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recent Survey & Certification Memorandum (S&C 09-05).  It contains guidance on the scoring methodology used to identify those nursing homes that become candidates for the Special Focus Facility (SFF) initiative.

Here are the highlights of the Survey & Certification memo:

• The scoring methodology for SFF is comprised of two scores: the deficiency score and the revisit score. 
• The SFF selection methodology is a five step process:
  1. Health deficiencies are scored and weighted.
  2. If the facility required more than one revisit to demonstrate substantial compliance, additional points are added to the SFF score.
  3. Results are totaled and weights are assigned to each period, with more recent results weighted more heavily.
  4. The facilities are grouped within each State and the 15 facilities with the highest SFF scores are presented to the State for consideration as SFF facilities.
  5. Each state reviews the candidate list, brings its state-specific knowledge and information for consideration and recommends a final selection to CMS.

You may access the complete Survey & Certification letter here.

If you have any questions, please feel free to call your RCS Field Manager. 

Sincerely,

Joyce Pashley Stockwell, Director
Residential Care Services