ATLANTA - Georgia has a slightly higher percentage of nursing home residents with bedsores and physical restraints than national averages, according to new federal data on nursing homes released for consumers. <br>
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The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services published Wednesday samples of the new health care quality data in major newspapers, including The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The full database of ten nursing home quality indicators for 362 nursing homes in the state is on the center's Web site. <br>
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By doing this, federal officials hope the quality of care in nursing homes around the country will improve as families learn to use health care data as a way to select the right nursing facility for a family member. <br>
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But advocates warn consumers not to rely on just the numbers. <br>
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The state long-term care ombudsman, Becky Kurtz, said it is valuable research but one can't do all research sitting at a computer. <br>
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Kurtz said ``you really need to go to a facility and see the interaction between staff and residents and get a sense of how the place functions.'' <br>
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The center's Web site lists quality data comparing Georgia nursing homes with about 17,000 nursing homes around the country. The Web site has been for the last few years posting nursing home problems found by state investigators. <br>
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The new data raised some eyebrows among advocates. Kurtz said some facilities that nursing home advocates thought were good operations didn't look so good while others that officials have monitored closely looked pretty good on the Web site.
