Top 10 nursing home deficiencies, top 10 trouble states

ProPublica has released an updated version of its Nursing Home Inspect tool, offering a much wider view of nursing home violations, including more deficiency details and a longer look-back period. The software simplifies searches through the database information collected from the regulatory surveys of the nation’s nursing homes.

The latest version includes 262,500 deficiencies, ranked on a scale of A to L, with L being the most severe infractions, according to a ProPublica news release. The most common infractions shown in the database are in the categories of D, E and F, what are classifed as “no actual harm with potential for more than minimal harm that is not immediate jeopardy.”

The top 10 states for the most serious deficiency ratings (K and L combined, in order of incident frequency) are Texas, New York, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, South Carolina, Kentucky, Illinois, Florida and Indiana.

Among the specific deficiencies, hazards within the facility still create the most infractions, closely followed by insufficient infection control processes. The top 10 deficiencies, as noted by ProPublica:

1. Facility is Free of Accident Hazards: 17,331
2. Facility Establishes Infection Control Program: 14,186
3. Provide Necessary Care for Highest Practicable Well-Being: 13,401
4. Store/Prepare/Distribute Food Under Sanitary Conditions: 11,746
5. Develop Comprehensive Care Plans: 9,070
6. Services Provided Meet Professional Standards: 8,986
7. Clinical Records Meet Professional Standards: 7,962
8. Not Employ Persons Guilty of Abuse: 7,288
9. Drug Regimen is Free from Unnecessary Drugs: 7,040
10. Dignity: 6,605

Pamela Tabar

Pamela Tabar was editor-in-chief of I Advance Senior Care from 2013-2018. She has worked as a writer and editor for healthcare business media since 1998, including as News Editor of Healthcare Informatics. She has a master’s degree in journalism from Kent State University and a master’s degree in English from the University of York, England.