An umbrella organization for long-term care consumer groups is calling for tougher restrictions on nursing homes that it says are “chronic” violators of quality care standards.
An analysis of federal data showed 44% of nursing homes were permitted to accept new residents and government funds after having repeat quality care violations, the Coalition for Quality Care stated in a press release. Those homes showed the same violations each year, over a three-year inspection cycle the group designated.
It said that its analysis, which used inspection records gathered by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, was the first of its kind.
“Unfortunately, this analysis confirms our collective experiences with nursing homes across the country,” wrote CQC president Richard Mollot. “Far too many people live in facilities where abuse and neglect continue year after year, with little or no effective intervention by regulators.”
The group said its analysis should be a “wake-up call” for state and federal lawmakers, as well as CMS, to identify and address “persistent failures” at troubled nursing homes.
