Nursing home inspectors routinely overlook or minimize problems that pose a serious, immediate threat to patients, Congressional investigators say in a new report.
In the report, to be issued on Thursday, the investigators, from the Government Accountability Office, say they have found widespread “understatement of deficiencies,” including malnutrition, severe bedsores, overuse of prescription medications and abuse of nursing home residents.
Nursing homes are typically inspected once a year by state employees working under contract with the federal government, which sets stringent standards. Federal officials try to validate the work of state inspectors by accompanying them or doing follow-up surveys within a few weeks.
The accountability office found that state employees had missed at least one serious deficiency in 15 percent of the inspections checked by federal officials. In nine states, inspectors missed serious problems in more than 25 percent of the surveys analyzed from 2002 to 2007.
I used to inspect nursing homes. I’m glad my state wasn’t listed in the nine worst ones. It’s sad to say, but I think some state inspectors overlook violations out of laziness. They don’t want to do the paperwork. If you write up a facility for a violation, you have to document thoroughly and meticulously the findings that led you to conclude a violation existed or else it gets tossed out on review. That takes time and effort and some inspectors would prefer to just look the other way and be spared the work. They seem to forget that it is their job to protect those who can’t protect themselves.