Inspection reports are an important tool for determining the risks found at a facility. In this article, we’ll define the term “inspection report” and explain how it relates to nursing home abuse.
An inspection report is a record produced by a safety inspection company or an insurance company about the potential physical, environmental, or financial risks of a property or facility. They are important documents indicating what condition a facility is in, whether or not it is safe, and whether it breaks any regulations.
Many different types of facilities may have inspection reports produced about them, including nursing homes. Nursing homes must meet standards of care to protect their residents, including:
Generally, state survey agencies will conduct nursing home inspections once a year, or more often if a nursing home is performing poorly or has complaints reported about it. These teams look at many aspects of life in the nursing home, such as:
Inspectors will also review clinical records, interview residents and family members, and speak to caregivers and administrative staff.
If an inspection team finds a nursing home does not meet a federal standard, it will issue a citation. The federal government may impose penalties on nursing homes for serious or uncorrected citations.
Using the inspection findings, the inspection team will calculate a health inspection star rating for each nursing home. This is calculated using the nursing home’s current health inspection and the previous two inspections, as well as findings from the most recent three years of complaints, facility-reported incident inspections, and infection control inspections. Nursing homes receive points for each citation they’ve received based on the severity and scope of the issue. They also receive additional points if the issue was identified during a previous inspection and the nursing home didn’t fix it.
Nursing home inspections are an important way to assess the safety and condition of a nursing home facility. People seeking to evaluate nursing homes for themselves or their loved ones are encouraged to research multiple facilities and look at each of their health inspection star ratings. By choosing a nursing home with a higher score, it is more likely you will have a safe experience.
That being said, nothing can 100% safeguard against the risk of nursing home abuse, and residents and their loved ones are encouraged to remain aware of the possibility of mistreatment. If you or somebody you care about have experienced nursing home abuse, you may be eligible for compensation for your suffering. You are encouraged to contact the relevant authorities and to reach out to an experienced nursing home abuse lawyer to learn about your options.
