Charges against nursing home administrators go unanswered, report says

Complaints against nursing home administrators in Indiana are less likely to reach the Indiana State Board of Health Facility Administrators—that state's nursing home regulatory body—than in other states, a local news report asserted.

Over the last five years, 2% of complaints—six out of 300—from state health inspectors made their way through the attorney general's office and into the hands of the ISBHFA, according to an analysis by the Indianapolis Star. Under the current attorney general, who took office in 2009, no complaints have been filed with the board. The Indiana state attorney general's office has said it files complaints with the board if it finds the administrator was personally responsible for the infraction, the Star said.

Other states take a broader approach to complaints against nursing home administrators, and will file complaints based not just on personal responsibility, but on systemic issues, the report said. The Indiana attorney general's said it often chastises administrators privately, without resorting to formal charges, the Star explained.