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How to Check Nursing Home Violations
Date Updated: December 23, 2024
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Sarah has produced thousands of articles in diverse niches over her decade-long career as a full-time freelance writer. This includes substantial content in the fields of senior care and health care. She has experience writing about wide-ranging topics, such as types of care, care costs, funding options, state Medicaid programs and senior resources.
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Dr. Brindusa Vanta is a health care professional, researcher, and an experienced medical writer (2000+ articles published online and several medical ebooks). She received her MD degree from “Iuliu Hatieganu” University of Medicine, Romania, and her HD diploma from OCHM – Toronto, Canada.
You can check nursing home violations using state licensing agencies, often within state health or social services departments, and your area’s Long-Term Care Ombudsman program. Additionally, Medicare provides comprehensive data for facilities that accept public funding, and individual facilities are required to provide reports upon request.
Medicare Nursing Home Database
Nursing homes must have Medicare certification to receive payments from the federal insurance program. You can search for specific facilities within Medicare’s database of providers or identify all certified facilities in a geographic location. If the nursing home accepts Medicare, you’ll find detailed inspection reports that include:
- Health
- Fire safety
- Emergency preparedness
Information also includes quality measures and staffing, and reports detail violations and Medicare penalties.
However, this database has limitations because it doesn’t include nursing homes that don’t accept Medicare. As of 2023, around 15,000 nursing facilities statewide hold Medicare certification. However, statistics indicate that the number of certified facilities has fallen over the past few years.
Nursing Home Licensing Agencies and Long-Term Care Ombudsman Programs
Nursing facilities and nursing home administrators must obtain licensing from the relevant state agency. In most jurisdictions, the departments of health or social services license nursing homes. As examples, facility regulations fall under the following:
- Minnesota: Department of Health
- Texas: Health and Human Services
- North Carolina: Department of Health and Human Services
- Oregon: Department of Human Services
Some state licensing bodies maintain searchable facility databases that include inspection reports. You can also learn about violations and other nursing home issues via your local Long-Term Care Ombudsman program.
Other Ways to Check Nursing Home Standards
All facilities must keep copies of state reports accessible on the premises, and they must show them to anyone who asks. Therefore, if you’re considering which nursing home to choose from or want to check a facility where you or a loved one resides, reading these comprehensive reports reveals many insights, including violations.
Sometimes, local media report problems, so you may find useful information through online searches. Additionally, several nonprofit companies, such as ProPublica, report issues, and the Office of Inspector General publishes reports and statistics about the nursing home industry in the United States.