ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER

Hospital and Nursing Home Accountability

Government Agency Wants Inspection Results Publicized

In a groundbreaking announcement, federal authorities are pushing to have details of hospital and nursing home inspections made public. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently proposed that the results of private inspections of medical facilities, including skilled nursing facilities, be made public. The decision means a major overhaul in the industry: private accreditors inspect nine out of ten medical facilities in this country for government program eligibility. We at Evans Law Firm applaud this decision. For too long institutional errors and malpractice have been covered up. If you or a loved one have suffered as a result, please call us at (415)441-8669.

What The New Requirement Means

For decades, private accreditation firms have policed the healthcare industry. The firms conduct periodic inspections of hospitals and nursing homes to screen for compliance with government reimbursement programs such as Medicare and Medicaid administered by CMS. In a 2016 report, CMS found that accrediting organizations often missed serious deficiencies discovered soon after by state inspectors. This is likely especially true in California where State agencies conduct more frequent routine inspections as well as spot inspections following complaints.

The Statistics on Medical Errors

In a recent sampling State officials discovered that private accreditors missed 39 of 41 serious deficiencies in standards of medical care. The results can be fatal. Back in 1999, a national report estimated that up to 98,000 people a year die because of mistakes in hospitals. Subsequent reports say the number is much higher and, when nursing homes are included in the count, much, much higher. In particular, neglect and physical abuse in nursing homes often cause pressure wounds, preventable accidents, or infection, any of which can be lethal to an elderly, vulnerable patient.

Contact Us

If you or a loved one has suffered from hospital or nursing home abuse or neglect in any California county, contact the Evans Law Firm healthcare and elder attorneys at (415) 441-8669, or by email at info@evanslaw.com. Our attorneys have wide experience with cases of nursing home abuse. We can help guide your case through a jury trial or toward an equitable settlement. We handle cases involving physical and financial elder abuse, qui tam and whistleblower law, nursing home abuse, whole life insurance and universal life insurance, and indexed, variable, and fixed annuities.