NURSING HOMES: Neglect, Abuse Still Prevalent

The General Accounting Office will release a report today revealing that the incidence of neglect and abuse in nursing homes has increased since President Clinton "launched a crackdown on problem" facilities, Cox News Service/Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. According to the report, nearly 30% of the United States' 17,000 nursing homes "have been cited for harming their residents or for putting them in immediate jeopardy," compared to 28% before the enforcement began two years ago. The GAO wrote that the increase may have resulted from greater detection efforts, but a nationwide shortage of nurses "raise[s] concerns that the actual proportion of homes with deficiencies may have increased." Other findings from the report include the following:

Although the Clinton administration called for more weekend and off-hour inspections of nursing homes, inspections in several states "continue to be predictable, allowing facilities to mask certain deficiencies if they choose to do so," according to the study;
It will take two or three more years before much of the enforcement program can be carried out, and this will require "sustained" efforts;
Monitoring for 60 facilities nationwide was increased due to a Clinton administration directive that called for states to examine more closely their "worst nursing homes." Of these, 12 dropped out of federal finance programs, roughly 50% were fined, and 28 are now "in substantial compliance" with federal standards.

The GAO report was requested by Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), chair of the Special Committee on Aging, which will hold a hearing today to discuss the report. "I wish I could tell you that there's dramatic improvement, but I can't," he said, adding, "We're moving the bureaucracy, but it's kind of like towing a house." He did praise HCFA for paying "more attention" to nursing home standards passed by Congress in 1987. HCFA Administrator Nancy-Ann DeParle said it is "too early to draw definitive conclusions about the impact of various (1998 nursing home initiative) provisions" (Malone, Cox News Service/Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 9/28). This is part of the California Healthline Daily Edition, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.