2 state nursing homes listed among U.S. worst
2 state nursing homes listed among U.S. worst
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Staff and Wire Reports
Published: November 30, 2007
Two Oklahoma nursing homes are among 54 in the nation the government has identified as the worst in patient care.
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Home plans for change
Barbie Hunter started work Thursday as administrator of the 81-resident Northwest Nursing Center. She said her goal is to make sure residents are well cared for and that all regulations are followed.
"We are correcting any problems there may be and look forward to serving the people of Oklahoma City and proving to them that this is a good place to be,” Harter said.
Calls to the managers of the Pawhuska Nursing Home were not returned Thursday. In 2004, the state Health Department reported findings of resident abuse and roach infestation at the home.
Although homes making significant improvements will still show up on the list because of the time required for inspection results to get through bureaucracy, home administrators still support the concept of greater disclosure, said Bruce Yarwood, president and chief executive officer of the American Health Care Association.
"Every time you go under a microscope like that, especially in our profession, you want to get out from under that microscope,” Yarwood said. "There will be a heck of a lot of effort not to stay there.”
About 1.5 million elderly and disabled people live in nursing homes. Taxpayers spend about $72.5 billion a year to subsidize the cost of care.
Improvement is often seen
Homes that get the special focus designation usually show improvement. About half the special focus homes improve their quality of care significantly within 24 to 30 months. However, about 16 percent are terminated from Medicare and Medicaid.
Kerry Weems, acting administrator at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said states pick from a list submitted by CMS when determining those that get the special focus designation. He said that because of regional differences, a home that makes the list in one state may provide better care than a home that's not listed in another state.
"I'm careful in saying they're not the worst performers, but they are chronic underperformers,” Weems said.
Weems said he hopes that naming the homes makes it easier for them to improve.
"We're hopeful making this disclosure will put the right kind of pressure, helpful pressure, on the facilities to move to the path of improvement rather than the path to termination,” Weems said.
Medicare officials said families with relatives in a special focus nursing home should visit the home and talk to staff and residents.
They also can review the survey history for the home on Medicare's Web site called Nursing Home Compare.
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