WASHINGTON — More than 90 percent of nursing homes were cited for violations of federal health and safety standards last year, and for-profit homes were more likely to have problems than other types of nursing homes, federal investigators say in a report issued on Monday. About 17 percent of nursing homes had deficiencies that caused ‘actual harm or immediate jeopardy’ to patients, said the report, by Daniel R. Levinson, the inspector general of the Department of Health and Human Services. Problems included infected bedsores, medication mix-ups, poor nutrition and abuse and neglect of patients. Inspectors received 37,150 complaints about conditions in nursing homes last year, and they substantiated 39 percent of them, the report said. About one-fifth of the complaints verified by federal and state authorities involved the abuse or neglect of patients. About two-thirds of nursing homes are owned by for-profit companies, while 27 percent are owned by nonprofit organizations and 6 percent by government entities, the report said. The inspector general said 94 percent of for-profit nursing homes were cited for deficiencies last year, compared with 88 percent of nonprofit homes and 91 percent of government homes. ‘For-profit nursing homes had a […]
Tuesday, September 30th, 2008
Violations Reported at 94% of Nursing Homes
Author: ROBERT PEAR
Source: The New York Times
Publication Date: 30-Sep-08
Link: Violations Reported at 94% of Nursing Homes
Source: The New York Times
Publication Date: 30-Sep-08
Link: Violations Reported at 94% of Nursing Homes
Stephan: The measure of a society is how it takes care of those least capable of caring for themselves. This is yet another area of our civil society where regulatory oversight has been gutted or is lacking. People in Canada, Europe, and elsewhere look at this and find America an increasingly bizarre and inhumane culture.