Nursing home inspectors often miss serious problems
Latest reports show that nursing home inspectors routinely minimize or ignore potential life threatening problems. Added to the problem is the fact that nationwide, one-fifth of nursing homes were cited for serious deficiencies last year. Nursing homes are required to be inspected yearly. Inspection is done by a state employee. federal officials validate the reports by accompanying inspectors or through a follow-up survey.
More than 1.5 million people live in nursing homes. The federal government in the form of Medicare and Medicaid cover more than two-thirds of their residents. As a condition for participating in Medicare or Medicaid programs, nursing homes must meet stringent federal standards.
The chief counsel to the inspector general of the Department of Health and Human Services, Lewis Morris, said he often had problems identifying owners of nursing homes that provide substandard care. Some of the problems found were residents that were dehydrated or malnourished, maggot infestations in wounds, dead flesh, and broken bones that have gone unmended.
on May 18th, 2008 at 1:04 am
[…] This week was nursing home week. In connection with this event, the senate held a hearing on enforcement of federal quality of care standards for nursing homes. The hearing was broadcast by Cspan. Click here to watch the testimony if you missed it. You’ll find it under “Recent Programs.” As I wrote earlier, the Government Acccounability Office (GAO) found that nursing home inspectors are derelict in their duty of identifying and enforcing violations. […]