Becoming a Special Focus Facility (SFF) is no honor in the nursing home industry. To be deemed an SFF is to be branded one of the worst nursing homes in the state when it comes to violations. Amid continuous speculation on the level of care being provided in nursing homes in general, homes which are in the SFF program are those most in the spotlight.
Special Focus Facility Program
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) developed the SFF program back in 1998 to address the issue of poorly performing nursing homes and to strive to improve their performance. It started with each state labeling the two worst offenders to be added to the SFF list and in 2005 it increased that number to 6 slots per state.