Deficiencies in Michigan Nursing Home Inspections

Medicare recently published statistics showing that nearly one-fourth of recent government nursing home inspections throughout Michigan were cited for significant health and safety deficiencies. The data also indicated that more than 22 percent of the homes inspected were cited for cases of actual harm to one or more residents and immediate jeopardy to the health or safety of the residents.

The report covers more than 13,000 Michigan nursing homes receiving Medicare funding and is based on inspections conducted in 2014 through 2017.

While a few of the nursing home inspections passed without any citations, most were cited for multiple deficiencies. Several had more than 20 separate citations for various issues that ranged from inadequate ventilation and improper food storage to incomplete record keeping and lack of staff training and supervision.

What Government Inspectors Found

Failure to:

• Store, cook and serve food in a safe and clean way
• Maintain medication records and properly mark and label drugs
• Maintain programs to investigate, control, and keep infections from spreading
• Hire only those people who do not have a record of abusing, neglecting and mistreating residents
• Report and investigate acts of abuse or neglect
• Ensure the environment is free from hazards and provide adequate supervision
• Implement appropriate employee screening and training programs
• Ensure residents maintain acceptable nutritional standards
• Make sure each resident’s medication plan is free from unnecessary drugs
• Provide proper treatment to heal bed sores and prevent new ones from forming
• Maintain essential equipment in proper working order
• Keep accurate, complete and organized records for all residents
• Develop emergency protocol and train employees accordingly
• Maintain adequate staffing levels to care properly for all residents
• Maintain adequate backup water supplies
• Dispose of garbage and other refuse according to established health standards
• Provide handrails in hallways

“This report should be troubling to anyone who cares about the well-being of our elderly population,” said Mark Bernstein of The Sam Bernstein Law Firm. “We are entrusting our vulnerable loved ones to the care of those who do not take this enormous responsibility seriously enough.”

While the data showed that only a small percentage of the cited deficiencies resulted in widespread actual harm, the potential for greater harm exists if these situations remain uncorrected.

“We cannot allow these harmful practices to continue,” said Bernstein, “and we are ready to fight for the rights of nursing home residents to receive the compassionate care they so justly deserve.”

If you suspect someone you care about is being abused or neglected in a nursing home setting, call The Sam Bernstein Law Firm today (1-800-CALLSAM) for a free and confidential consultation.

Source:
https://data.medicare.gov/Nursing-Home-Compare/Deficiencies/r5ix-sfxw