One Out of Five Nursing Homes Consistently Earns Poor Ratings for Overall Quality
USA Today says that out of every five US nursing homes, one of them will have earned consistently poor ratings for overall quality. The newspaper came up with this figure after analyzing new data from Medicare, which began giving star ratings to US nursing homes in an attempt to help nursing home patients and their families make more informed choices when choosing an assisted living facility. Having this information can be very helpful in avoiding places where Illinois nursing home abuse and neglect are already rampant.
Star ratings are awarded based on inspection reports, investigations into complaints, and other information primarily gathered from the past two years. USA Today discovered that no US state, including Illinois, was exempt when it came to having assisted living facilities that received poor ratings from one year to the next. It is also interesting to note that almost all of the nursing homes that earned one or two star ratings belonged to for-profit companies. The assisted living facilities with the lowest ratings usually had an average of 14 deficiencies each. However, Medicare is quick to note that even a nursing home that receives one star will have had to meet the federal agency’s most basic requirements.
While it is good that federal health officials have developed a rating system that provides information about each facility based on health inspection results, staffing, and quality measures, our Chicago, Illinois nursing home abuse lawyers remain convinced that there is no substitute to actually visiting an assisted living facility and personally inspecting the bedrooms, kitchen, quality of food, and living conditions. This will also allow you to watch the way patients interact with nursing home workers so that you can get a sense of the kind of attention and care your loved one might receive at a particular facility.
Too often, patients become the victims of Illinois nursing home neglect, abuse, or patient violence. Injuries, illness, and death are the unfortunate consequences of nursing home negligence.
Analysis: Poor ratings persist for 1 in 5 U.S. nursing homes, USA Today, January 28, 2010
Nursing Home Compare, Medicare
Related Web Resources:
Nursing Homes in Illinois
Contact Chicago, Illinois nursing home neglect and abuse attorney Steve Malman.
