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Blog 
Nursing Home Abuse
- Is the multistate nursing compact putting our Virginia elders at risk?
- Virginia nursing home supervisor refuses to take blame for abuse
- Beware sweet-talking financial abusers targeting elders in Virginia
- Eye Opening Facts about Virginia Elder Abuse & Neglect
- Questions for suspected cases of Virginia elder abuse / neglect
Firm News
Virginia Nursing Home Administrator embroiled in abuse complaints
Posted on 7/31/2010
More elder abuse scams target vulnerable Virginia citizens
Posted on 7/31/2010
This Memorial Day, Focus on Abuse of Veterans in Nursing Homes
Posted on 5/31/2010
Virginia Beach nursing home with violations will retain govn’t funding
Posted on 4/29/2010
Virginia Beach nursing home may lose Medicare and Medicaid funding
Posted on 3/31/2010
Jury awards senior $7.75 million in nursing home abuse lawsuit
Posted on 2/27/2010
Kickbacks lead to nursing home residents being prescribed drugs
Posted on 1/29/2010
Virginia Beach nurse implicated in nursing home identity theft
Posted on 1/29/2010
Cases of nursing home abuse and neglect may go up over the holiday season
Posted on 11/30/2009
Senators pushing back against DEA narcotics crackdown affecting nursing home residents
Posted on 10/31/2009
Firm Library
Nursing Home Abuse
- Suspect financial elder abuse? Your local Virginia bank teller could be an unexpected ally
- Nursing home abuse and neglect in Virginia – a bigger problem than anyone realizes
- Virginia Elder Abuse: It Can Happen Anywhere
- Fighting for the Rights of Nursing Home Residents: the Healthcare Bill Targets Elder Abuse
- Mandatory Reporting of Virginia Nursing Home Abuse or Neglect
Should I avoid nursing homes designated as “Special Focus Facilities”?
Find the right nursing home is a challenge for many families. Some people turn to the Nursing Home Compare website run by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). This website can be used to find nursing homes in a particular area, and rates home on a five-star system (with five starts being the best rating).
While researching nursing homes, you may find a home identified as a “Special Focus Facility” (SFF). On average, nursing homes have around 6 or 7 deficiencies that are found during a routine CMS inspection, deficiencies that are fixed in a reasonable amount of time. Not so for SFFs.
What is a Special Focus Facility?
CMS started the SFF program to give extra attention to nursing homes that exhibit a pattern of problems over a long period of time. SFFs typically have twice the average number of deficiencies as a ‘normal’ nursing home and they have more serious problems than other nursing homes (i.e. harm or injury to residents).
What happens when a home receives the SFF label?
The goal of the SFF program is to turn the nursing home around by providing extra oversight and enforcement. SFF homes are visited twice as often as other homes, face stricter penalties for deficiencies, and if they don’t improve they could be terminated from the Medicare and Medicaid program. A nursing home that cannot take Medicare or Medicaid will go out of business unless they have enough private patients.
How many homes are classified as SFFs?
Right now CMS lists 136 nursing homes on their list of Special Focus Facilities. Out of 160,000 CMS homes in the U.S., 136 is a tiny fraction. Does this mean that the vast majority of homes are in great shape? Not really.
A recent GAO report criticized CMS for only having 136 homes on their list. According to the GAO, 580 homes fit the definition of a Special Focus Facility, and questions have been asked about why the number of CMS classified SFFs is so low. This means you should be extra careful when researching nursing homes – there may be some out there that look okay on paper but have a pattern of unacceptable deficiencies.
Should I avoid Special Focus Facility nursing homes?
Depending on where you live, you may not have a lot of nursing home options, or you may already have a loved one in a SFF nursing home. In these cases, you may have to consider a SFF home – but you should proceed with caution by asking a lot of questions, thoroughly researching the home, and making several visits in person. Here are some things to consider about a SFF home:
- Find out what problems got the home in trouble. Some problems are worse than others.
- Were the problems addressed?
- How were they addressed?
- What steps has the management taken to ensure the problem won’t happen again?
If you would like to speak with an experienced Virginia nursing home abuse and neglect lawyer, please contact the Norfolk based law office of Weisberg & Zaleski. Our skilled, compassionate attorneys will review your case with you for no cost or obligation, and help you move forward to secure justice for your loved one.
Weisberg & Zaleski, P.C.
112 College Place
Norfolk, VA 23510
Toll Free: (800) 690-0235
Phone: (757) 622-7740
Fax: (757) 533-9223
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Michael S. Weisberg, P.C.
112 College Place
Norfolk, VA 23510
Phone: (757) 622-7740
Fax: (757) 533-9223
Toll Free: (800) 690-0235
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