Last month, non-profit corporation ProPublica updated the organization’s Nursing Home Inspect tool to include more than 250,000 deficiencies identified by the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services at nursing homes across the nation over the last three years. The information was reportedly taken from detailed narrative reports of problems uncovered following annual long-term care facility inspections. The Nursing Home Inspect tool was purportedly created in an effort to make it easier for the public to search for problems or other care trends at skilled nursing facilities in Illinois and across the nation. Normally, a long-term care facility will be inspected by a state agency only once per year unless the agency receives a complaint regarding nursing home conditions. Any deficiencies noted are then ranked based upon the deemed level of severity.
The top five violations listed in the Nursing Home Inspect database include failure to ensure a skilled nursing facility is free from accident hazards, failure to ensure an effective infection control program is in place, failure to provide the best necessary resident care as is practicable, unsanitary food preparation or distribution, and failure to create comprehensive patient care plans. In addition, other failures such as meeting professional standards with regard to services and record-keeping, employing individuals who have committed abuse, maintaining a drug regimen that includes unnecessary patient medications, and failure to ensure the dignity of residents is protected were also allegedly noted frequently by nursing home inspectors.
Unfortunately, nursing home patients risk serious injury and death when long-term care facilities fail to maintain an environment that is free from fall and other accident hazards. Additionally, residents are placed at risk for abuse or neglect when a nursing home does not employ a sufficient number of well-trained direct care staff. In Illinois, the Nursing Home Care Act requires skilled nursing facilities throughout the state to employ enough workers to meet the needs of all patients. Sadly, inadequate or poorly trained staff commonly factor into nursing home abuse or neglect cases. If you feel your friend or loved one was harmed or died as a result of nursing home abuse or neglect, you should contact a skilled nursing home abuse and neglect attorney to discuss your concerns.
If your loved one was neglected or abused while residing in an Illinois nursing home, do not hesitate to call Abels & Annes, P.C. at (312) 475-9596 today. Our experienced Chicago area nursing home abuse and neglect lawyers are available 24 hours per day, seven days per week to help you protect the rights of your elderly and disabled family members. At Abels & Annes, P.C., our hardworking attorneys are here to help you with filing your nursing home abuse and neglect case. To schedule a free confidential consultation with a capable Illinois attorney, please contact Abels & Annes, P.C. through the law firm’s website.
More Blogs:
Bed Rail Deaths Come Under Scrutiny in Illinois and Nationwide, Illinois Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog, December 11, 2012
Fall Risk in Illinois and Other Nursing Homes is Highest During the First Month of Residency, Illinois Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog, December 8, 2012
Additional Resources:
The 10 Most Common Nursing Home Violations, by Charles Ornstein, propublica.org