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Majority of Virginia Nursing Homes have Deficiencies in Care

A report by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General reveals some surprising statistics about Virginia nursing homes. According to the report titled “Trends in Nursing Home Deficiencies and Complaints”, over 93 percent of Virginia nursing homes were cited for deficiencies in 2007. That is an increase from 84.4% in 2005 and 87.2% in 2006. Virginia nursing homes are actually doing worse than the national average, as nationwide over 91 percent of nursing homes were cited for federal deficiencies. In addition, more for-profit nursing homes were cited for deficiencies than not-for-profit or government homes.

What does this mean, exactly? All nursing homes that participate in Medicare and Medicaid must meet certain federal requirements for care, and must have surveys conducted by the State at least every 15 months with a statewide average of no more than 12 months between surveys. Surveys must assess medical, nursing, and rehabilitative care; dietary and nutrition services; activities and social participation; and sanitation, infection control, and the physical environment. Homes with deficiencies are a concern because too many deficiencies can indicate that a home could become a site of abuse or neglect.

Types of nursing home deficiencies

There are 190 possible deficiencies that a nursing home can receive; all deficiencies fall into one of the following categories and each is assigned a severity ranking:

• Resident rights
• Physician services
• Admission, transfer, and discharge rights
• Rehabilitative services
• Resident behavior and facility practices
• Dental services
• Quality of life
• Pharmacy services
• Resident assessment
• Infection control
• Quality of care
• Physical environment
• Nursing services
• Administration
• Dietary services
• Laboratory and radiology services

Substandard quality of care in nursing homes

In addition, three of the above categories are related to substandard quality of care. If a nursing home is found to have provided substandard quality of care, the surveyors must conduct an extended survey within 14 days. The three deficiency categories related to substandard quality of care are as follows, along with the percentage of nursing homes surveyed that received at least one deficiency in each category:

• Quality of care (73.6%) – this includes appropriate treatment to prevent and treat pressure sores and urinary tract infections; resident freedom from unnecessary drugs and significant medical errors.
• Quality of life (43.3%) – includes care that maintains or enhances dignity; the provision of social services to attain the highest practicable well-being of each resident; and a safe, clean, comfortable, and homelike environment.
• Resident behavior and facility practices (27.4%) – includes freedom from physical or chemical restraints for purposes of discipline and convenience and freedom from abuse, corporal punishment, and involuntary seclusion.

Learn more about selecting the right Virginia nursing home

With so many Virginia nursing homes suffering from federal deficiencies, it can be difficult to be sure that you are making the right decision about which facility you should use. You can read more about how to select the right Virginia nursing home in our library article, “Choosing the Right Nursing Home in Virginia” and learn about “Limitations of the Medicare Nursing Home Rating System” as well.

If you would like to speak with an attorney about problems you or someone you love has experienced with poor nursing home care, neglect, or abuse then please contact the law offices of Weisberg & Zaleski.

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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