Worst Nursing Homes
Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text.
- KEYWORDS:
- CENTERS FOR MEDICARE AND MEDICAID SERVICES (U.S.)
- GOVERNMENT REGULATION
- NURSING HOMES
- PATIENT SAFETY
- QUALITY OF HEALTH CARE
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) should do a better job of identifying poorly performing nursing homes, said the Government Accountability Office (GAO) in a report released September 28 (http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d09689.pdf).
At issue is the CMS's Special Focus Facility Program, which currently designates only 136 homes as performing poorly, the maximum number that the agency is able to handle. Such facilities face closer monitoring by the CMS and more stringent enforcement actions if problems continue. But the GAO estimated that 580 (almost 4%) of the approximately 16 000 nursing homes in the United States could be considered poorly performing. Because every state except Alaska is required to have at least 1 nursing home in the program, some of those being monitored may not be among the worst 136 homes in the country.
The report was made at the request of Sen Herb Kohl (D, Wis) and Sen Chuck Grassley …
