Slightly more than half of the nation’s nursing facilities reported abuse or neglect allegations as required in 2012, a new report from the Office of Inspector General alleges. Such relatively low compliance indicates that more guidance and oversight is warranted, the report concludes.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services agreed with OIG recommendations calling for updated guidance and better reporting templates.
The OIG found that just 76% of nursing homes maintained policies that address federal rules for reporting allegations and investigation results. And only 61% had documentation of compliance with these regulations. OIG will supply CMS with a list of non-compliers.
Federal law requires that Medicare- and Medicaid-certified facilities promptly report abuse and neglect allegations and subsequent investigation findings.
From the October 01, 2014 Issue of McKnight's Long-Term Care News
