GAO Study: Improvement Needed in Evaluating Quality of Nursing Home Care
A recent federal study asserts the need for The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to improve the tools it uses to assess the quality of nursing home care, McKnights Long Term Care News reports. According to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report conducted at the request of Senators Charles Grassley (R-IA) and Herb Kohl (D-WI), CMS “has not established quality measures or performance goals” to evaluate the quality of patient care in our nation’s nursing homes through the Quality Indicator Survey process.
For example, GAO found that during resident interviews, surveyors did not consistently look for further information when they were provided with incomplete answers. Senator Kohl said that the purpose of the survey is to get the information necessary to help provide nursing home residents quality care.
As more and more baby boomers head into our nation’s nursing homes, it becomes an issue of national importance to ensure that our seniors are provided with quality care. However, nursing home abuse and neglect continues to be a significant problem nationwide. Not only are a number of our vulnerable seniors physically, emotionally, sexually, or financially abused, but they are also neglected while in the care of a nursing home. Sometimes, the abuse or neglect results in serious injury or death to the nursing home resident. This is unacceptable for families that entrust their loved ones to the care of a specialized facility that is paid to provide quality care.
If your loved one has been abused or neglected in a care facility, the experienced Oklahoma City nursing home abuse attorneys at the Maples Law Firm can help you better understand your legal rights and options. Please contact us at (405) 705-5050 for a free, comprehensive and confidential consultation.