Cleveland - A new report is out on nursing homes with bad marks via the United States Senate, and Northeast Ohio is not exempt.
Hudson Elms, Canton Christian Home, Eliza Bryant Center, and Fairlawn Rehab and Nursing had a 'persistent record of poor care' as of April.
Overall, nearly 400 facilities nationwide had a "persistent record of poor care" as of April, but they were not included along with a shorter list of homes that get increased federal scrutiny and do have warning labels, according to a Senate report released Monday.
Budget cuts appear to be contributing to the problem by reducing money available for the focused inspections that are required for nursing homes on the shorter list, according to documents and interviews.
The report and list can be found in it's entirety by clicking here.
About 1.3 million Americans are nursing home residents, cared for in more than 15,700 facilities. The senators' report noted that problem nursing homes on both lists account for about 3 percent.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS, does not publicly disclose names of a smaller group of about 80 nursing homes that are getting special scrutiny to help them resolve documented quality problems. They're in what's called the Special Focus Facility program. Nursing homes that don't improve can be cut off by Medicare and Medicaid.
So how can you do your research? Consumers can identify special focus facilities on the government's Nursing Home Compare website by looking for an icon shaped like a small yellow triangle that resembles a traffic "caution" sign. The website does not display starred quality ratings for the special focus facilities. Usually, nursing homes receive from a low of one star to the highest quality score of five stars.
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