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Abuse and Neglect of Elderly Rampant In Nursing Home Industry
Posted on Sep 21, 2006
A 2006 report by Consumer Reports finds that two decades after Congress attempted to reform the nursing home industry "bad care persists and good homes are still hard to find." Twenty years ago Congress passed the Nursing Home Reform Act which required all nursing homes that accept Medicare and Medicaid funding to meet uniform national standards. According to press reports, penalties often are not enforced against nursing homes and nursing homes that are out of compliance with federal regulations are permitted to continue treating Medicare and Medicaid patients. Studies have shown that there is a strong correlation between staffing levels and quality of care. Of course increased staffing increases costs and results in reduced profits for the nursing home. Virginia attorney John Harris correctly points out that one way to make nursing homes improve the quality of care is to pursue civil lawsuits against nursing homes. In other words "make it more expensive to neglect patients."
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