Online Tool Shows Nursing Home Abuse
Looking for easy-to-access data on America’s 60,000 or so nursing homes?
There is a newly updated tool from the nonprofit public interest group ProPublica. It allows anyone to easily see how nursing homes compare, based on deficiencies cited by regulators and the penalties imposed. Called Nursing Home Inspect, the tool uses data gathered during inspections from the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). With this information, Nursing Home Inspect then rates nursing facilities on a scale from A to K—with K indicating the most serious deficiencies. ProPublica obtained the data for the tool via a Freedom of Information Act request.
The tool not only lets you search individual homes, it also shows trends based on regions. You can locate, for instance, the states with the most serious deficiencies per home (Kentucky has the most), highest average fine (Washington state pays the most), and payment suspensions (Texas leads the pack).
“Serious deficiencies” refers to any instances in which patients were put at “immediate jeopardy of harm,” according to ProPublica. These can cover a broad range of instances that can be considered nursing home abuse and neglect.
Some of the nursing homes with the highest instances of serious deficiencies identified by the tool include:
- Pleasant Valley, New York (20)
- Salem Nursing & Rehabilitation Center Of Tuskegee, Alabama (18)
- Johnson Mathers Nursing Home, Kentucky (17)
- Farwell Convalescent Center, Texas (16)
- Laurel Baye Healthcare Blackville, South Carolina (15)
- New Iberia Manor North, Louisiana (15)
- Countryside Care Center, New York (15)
- Honey Grove Nursing Center, Texas (15)
- Providence Pavilion, Kentucky (20)
The tool can help those with elders in need of nursing care make sound, informed decisions about where to place their loved one. If you suspect that your loved one may be the victim of the crime of nursing home abuse, call Sokolove Law today for a free case evaluation.
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