My eyes, your eyes--the relationship between CMS five-star rating of nursing homes and family rating of experience of care in Maryland.

In 2008, the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) launched the Five-Star Quality Rating System to help consumers compare nursing homes. The quality rating system consists of three domains: nursing home inspection results, staffing, and quality measures (QMs) and an overall rating calculated from the three domains. The Five-Star System has both advocates and detractors.

Rapid HIV testing of clients of a mobile STD/HIV clinic.

HIV rapid testing may enhance the effectiveness of a mobile HIV/sexually transmitted disease (STD) screening clinic in at-risk populations who normally do not seek care. Our goal was to determine the usability and post-test counseling rates of rapid HIV testing services for clients tested on a mobile clinic. HIV Oraquick rapid HIV-1 testing (OraSure Technologies, Inc.

Post-HIV test counselling of clients of a mobile STD/HIV clinic.

The objective of the study was to determine the post-test counselling (PTC) rates for HIV-infected and uninfected individuals receiving HIV counselling and testing on a mobile STD/HIV screening clinic and to determine whether individuals at highest risk for transmitting their infection were less likely to receive PTC than those at lower risk for transmitting. Clients presenting for HIV counselling and testing were asked about their demographic characteristics, clinical history, personal risk behaviours, and partner risk factors and told to return after 14 days for results. Disease intervention specialists (DIS) attempted to locate and counsel positive clients.