South Carolina Nursing Home Lawyer & Attorney : Poliakoff & Associates Law Firm : Elderly Care, Senior Care

 I have read several articles recently about how some cities like Cincinnati may stop conducting nursing home inspections.  That is fine with me since most inspectors in South Carolina are so overworked and underfunded that the inspectors don't have the time and resources to properly insure that the nursing home is properly caring for the residents. 

Typically, the nursing homes know when they are coming and improve conditions before the inspectors get there.  We hear countless stories from ex-employees of nursing homes in the area that all repeat the same chorus.  "They increase staff and clean everything when they know the survey team will be coming in". 

I have not seen any complaints substantiated or any fines incurred against any of the for profit nursing homes. The inspectors in South Carolina seem to ignore violations, and the concerns of residents and family members. Instead, they criticize the county run nursing homes or the charitable organizations that run the mom and pop nursing homes.  I can't tell if it is corruption or incompetence but certainly the inspection program in South Carolina isn't doing anything to provide better care or oversight for the residents.

Below is a summary of a story by Dan Horn about Cincinnati dropping nursing home inspections

The Cincinnati Health Department is considering whether to drop its inspection program for nursing homes and residential care facilities. Budget cuts and retirements could soon leave the department unable to keep up with annual inspections. Cincinnati is the only city in the state that does its own nursing home inspections, a policy that city officials have said allows the city to react more quickly and aggressively to problems.   He said the program once operated with six inspectors and supervisors, but that number fell to four by the start of this year. Another retirement will drop the total to three employees by this fall.

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An independent, broad-based national expert panel should be convened to re-examine the oversight process for nursing homes, a task force from the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (AAHSA) concluded in its final report, "Broken and Beyond Repair: Recommendations to Reform the Survey and Certification System."

The report's 31 recommendations include improved communication to surveyors and providers about new requirements and changes to the survey process, standardized job descriptions for surveyors, more efficient use of survey resources, and flexibility to adapt to culture change. The task force's overarching recommendation is that an independent commission, such as the Institute of Medicine, reexamine the survey and certification process to "create a common vision for how our nation should care for its frailest citizens and to recommend a new oversight model for ensuring that this vision becomes reality in every nursing home today."

Bonnie Gauthier acknowledged that "our short-term suggestions alone won't bring the system back to the intent of OBRA 87 -- achieving optimal, quality-based, resident-centered care -- but they will tide the system over until broad systemic change can occur." Immediate changes needed, according to the report, include better public reporting of survey results, joint education of providers and surveyors, and greater overall consistency in the process."

To inform its conclusions, the report includes a digest of interviews with survey agency representatives from seven states and a catalog of surveyor job descriptions from numerous states.
Larry Minnix, AAHSA's president and CEO, said  "This system is angry, broken and can't be fixed. A system based on consistency, fairness and accuracy will help us move toward the day when there are two types of nursing homes: the excellent and the non-existent."

Get copies of the report . 

About AAHSA
The members of the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging ( www.aahsa.org) help millions of individuals and their families every day through mission-driven, not-for-profit organizations dedicated to providing the services that people need, when they need them, in the place they call home. Our 5,800 member organizations, many of which have served their communities for generations, offer the continuum of aging services: adult day services, home health, community services, senior housing, assisted living residences, continuing care retirement communities and nursing homes. AAHSA's commitment is to create the future of aging services through quality people can trust.
SOURCE American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging
 

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