Illinois Nursing Home Abuse Blog

The inspector general for the Health and Human Services Department found that 55 nursing homes between 2000 and 2002 should have been penalized for jeopardizing patients' safety. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid should have ended their contracts but the agency's staff were often reluctant to displace residents if they thought a facility would improve their performance.

In addition to ending a home's Medicare contract, the government is required to deny payment for new admissions when nursing homes take more than three months to come into "substantial compliance" with federal rules.

For the full article:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/politics/wire/sns-ap-nursing-homes,1,4877821.story?coll=sns-ap-politics-headlines&ctrack=1&cset=true

Gov. Rod Blagojevich plans to sign a bill that will keep nursing home residents safer by requiring criminal background checks for all current and incoming Illinois nursing home residents. The bill requires the state’s 1000 nursing homes to identify sex offenders and violent felons. The bill is an answer to rapes and beatings that have occurred throughout Illinois. In 2005, the Chicago Sun Times released an expose of sex offenders and parolees living in Illinois.

http://levinperconti.blawgs.pro/Parolees%20living%20in%20state%20nursing%20homes.htm

When the governor signs the bill, Illinois will be the first state requiring criminal background checks for admitted residents. The bill is needed in Illinois, which ranks second only to California in the number of known felons and sex offenders per resident. (70 known felons and sex offenders, out of the state’s 100,000 residents).

For the full article:
http://www.sj-r.com/sections/news/stories/85629.asp

In response to states drafting false claims acts that are not at least as strong as the federal False Claims Act, the government is providing an incentive for states to strengthen and pass these laws.

As part of the 2005 Deficit Reduction Act (DRA), the government will provide a 10 percent increase in the state's share of Medicaid fraud recoveries if their laws are at least as strong as the federal False Claims Act.

For more information:
http://www.taf.org/cashbackstatefca.htm

Washington State adopted video surveillance is regulations for nursing homes that strike a good balance between protecting people, and recording abuse/neglect, without being too invasive to residents’ privacy. The links below show the actual regulations:

http://www.leg.wa.gov/WAC/index.cfm?section=388-78A-2680&fuseaction=section

http://www.leg.wa.gov/WAC/index.cfm?section=388-78A-2690&fuseaction=section

A rule mandating a criminal history record check for certain non-licensed nursing home staff who provide direct care or supervision to residents will go into effect April 1, 2005 in New York State. Nursing homes will be required to obtain a record check from the U.S. Attorney General prior to employment for any prospective employee, and the employee must sign a sworn statement disclosing any findings of resident abuse or convictions of a crime or violation other than a traffic infraction. Financial burden for this verification is placed on the nursing home as a cost of doing business.
Source: NORC Gazette 1/21/05

South Carolina's Governor proposed a 5 ombudsmen increase in the 2005-2006 budget, adding to the current 15 long-term care ombudsmen. The state's senior citizen population is predicted to double in the next 15 years, and triple in the next 25 years and currently doesn't have the 1 ombudsmen per 2,000 beds recommended by the Institute of Medicine.
Source: NORC Gazette 1/21/05