Blog Post

Worst Nursing Homes List Published


February 14, 2008
Topic: Nursing Home Abuse

After months of resisting full disclosure of a list of the worst nursing homes in the country, the government has conceded and has released the names of the facilities. The dubious list consists of what the government calls "special focus facilities" or nursing homes that require more than the normal amount of inspections. These facilities are required to have visits and inspections every six months instead of the norm, which is once a year. What this means, is that these facilities are on the government's radar for incompetence and negligence.

Last year, the government released a list of 54 nursing homes it said merited extra attention, and the publication of the new list was in response to growing pressure to make the findings public.

A series of nursing home scandals in recent months have hogged headlines all over the country. Just yesterday, we ran a story on the shocking rape and abuse case at the Concord Care Center in Ohio where paralyzed and blind inmates were abused by a caregiver. According to the Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services, the publication of the report is just one step in a process of improving the kind of quality patients and their families can expect in care-giving facilities. According to their spokesperson, there is no "substitute for visiting the nursing home in person."

At least 52 nursing homes on the list have been unable to rise above their "higher risk nursing home" status. This is a troubling revelation. If a facility has failed to improve upon the quality of its services after having once been the focus of criticism, then there might not be much hope for any improvements in the near future. We hope these facilities are taken off Medicare immediately, instead of waiting until the next sex-abuse-nursing-home scandal breaks, which seems to be the case more often than not.

In the Concord Care case for instance, the caregiver in question had been seen being abusive and threatening to patients by other staff members. Some of the staff members even allegedly bought it to the attention of the authorities, but there was no action taken.

Publication of this report is beneficial on a number of levels. For one, it rips the façade of such nursing homes and presents their true picture to the public. For too long, abusive facilities have hidden behind legalese and red tape to get around punishment for their negligence.

The report will make it easier for patients looking for facilities to make their decision. Among other things, the report recommends calling the State Survey Agency to dig up background on the home, and compare results from the last CMS list of worst nursing home.

Protection of the individual must be foremost on the agenda, not protection of a few vested interests who treat the nursing home as a business with patients being sacrificed at the golden altar of profits.

If you have a loved-one who has been the victim of nursing home abuse or neglect, you need the help of an experienced California personal injury law firm. Contact an attorney at The Reeves Law Group for a free consultation.


The California personal injury attorneys at The Reeves Law Group represent victims of accidents, injuries and wrongful death throughout California from our offices in Los Angeles County, Orange County, San Diego County, Riverside County, San Bernardino County, Ventura County, Fresno County, Kern County, Sacramento County, San Fernando Valley, Long Beach, Antelope Valley, Torrance, Glendale, Bakersfield, Santa Ana, San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, Ontario, and Victorville.