Hundreds of Nursing Homes Named in Report on Poor Care and Issues

A newly-released report on nursing homes that have consistently been identified in cases of abuse, neglect, and poor sanitary conditions lists the names and locations of about 400 facilities around the United States.

The report was originally compiled as a list of candidates for a program, created by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS), which aimed to identify facilities who were deemed in need of regular inspections. Some locations on the list, which are labeled in the report, are included in the Special Focus Facility (SFF) program and are periodically monitored, with the threat of Medicare and Medicaid cuts for homes that do not better their standard of care.

The other names on the list were considered for the SFF program, but were not selected — the conditions in these places were also recognized as inadequate, but due to a lack of resources, officials were not able to actually complete inspections. An article from The Journal-Courier stated that in 2010, 167 of 835 candidates were selected for the Special Focus Facility program. Recent figures report a selection of 88 nursing homes from a list of 440 potential candidates. The article also described that approximately 2,900 nursing homes in the United States have a one-star quality rating, the lowest rating possible.

Pennsylvania senators Bob Casey and Pat Toomey released the list as part of a full report on insufficient nursing home conditions across the country. Until this release, the names of the potential SFF candidates were kept confidential from the American public. Meanwhile, the nursing homes continued to operate, with not-so-frequent inspections, and with patients and families unaware of their history of neglect.

The government’s secrecy and a lack of action exposed elderly people around the country to the risks of known-to-be-abusive nursing homes. Patient needs are disregarded, and these dangerous facilities are allowed to remain open despite their sordid reputations. At Spohrer Dodd, we provide dedicated legal representation to the victims of nursing home abuse, and their loved ones.

To schedule a free initial case evaluation with our attorneys, please call (904) 637-7721 or complete our contact form.