Researchers from the Government Accountability Office are releasing a report today on the investigation of care in nursing homes nationwide.  The report’s conclusions have already been published: investigators routinely overlook or minimize problems that pose a serious, immediate threat to patients.
According to preliminary announcements, researchers found widespread “understatement of deficiencies,” including malnutrition, severe bedsores, overuse of prescription medications and abuse of nursing home residents.
Usually, nursing homes are investigated once a year by state- and then federal-government officials. The researchers found that state officials missed at least one serious deficiency in 15% of homes. In nine states, state officials missed 25% of serious deficiencies.
“Poor quality of care — worsening pressure sores or untreated weight loss — in a small but unacceptably high number of nursing homes continues to harm residents or place them in immediate jeopardy, that is, at risk of death or serious injury,” the report said.
The study was done at the request of Senators Charles E. Grassley of Iowa, and Herb Kohl of Wisconsin, who is chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging. These two congressmen are proposing a revision of legislature to increase penalties for health violations in nursing homes. The maximum fine, now generally $10,000, would be increased to $25,000 for a serious deficiency and $100,000 for one that resulted in a patient’s death.
Stay tuned for the official report release. To learn more about the study, click here.
[...] Before the official report release, authorities stated that the GAO found that serious care problems were overlooked or not cited during annual nursing home investigations. As a result, compromised care remains prevalent and not addressed. According to the report, “such undetected care problems are of concern because they could become more serious over time if nursing homes are not required to take corrective actions.” The most frequently overlooked problems involved a lack of proper nutrition or hydration and failure to prevent pressure sores. [...]