Nation's Worst Nursing Homes Listed in Government Report
By Daniel Hawn
Published on March 10, 2008
The report was released Feb. 12, after some initial resistance by the Bush administration to make the information public. In the document, 131 nursing homes are given the designation "special focus facility," a label used to identify nursing homes that require additional oversight by state regulators. Special focus facilities are evaluated twice a year instead of at the usual interval of every 12 months.
While few nursing homes are free from all deficiencies – on average, surveys turn up six or seven deficiencies per facility – special focus facilities have about twice that many, and take longer to correct such problems. Most infractions involve medication errors or the failure to prevent residents from injuring themselves in the nursing homes.
CMS acting administrator Kerry Weems said the list of facilities was compiled and released in an effort to improve the quality of care provided at nursing homes throughout the country. She added that while the agency's report can be useful in evaluating nursing homes, visiting a facility in person is still one of the best ways to assess the level of care that it provides.
CMS plans to update its list of nursing homes every four months; the agency's next report is scheduled to be released in April.
The full list of deficient facilities may be accessed online at: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/CertificationandComplianc/Downloads/SFFList.pdf
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