The selection of a nursing home can be critical: 39 percent of facilities have been cited by health inspectors over the past three years for harming a patient or operating in such a way that injuries are likely, government records show.

Acute Care Facilities / Hospitals do not always send a patient to “better” facilities, but seem to push their own facilities over comparable or better alternatives.  Even the worst nursing homes are full because hospitals keep sending patients to them regardless of there history of abuse or neglect.

Lately, some hospitals are now only referring patients to higher-quality nursing homes.  The patient should have the last word, though.  This type of high quality referring, though, is very rare in the industry and is not very commonplace.

The federal government may change this hands-off approach by requiring hospitals to provide guidance and quality data to patients while still respecting a patient’s preferences. The rule would apply to information not only about nursing homes but also about home health agencies, rehabilitation hospitals and other facilities and services that patients may need after their hospital stay.

The government has created other incentives for hospitals to make sure their patient placements are good. For instance, Medicare cuts payments to hospitals when too many discharged patients returned within a month.  Now there will be rewards to hospitals from Medicare that do quality discharges.

Always watch very where they send your loved ones, and seek out the best nursing homes. Let the Hospital know that is where you want your loved one to go.

Call the Peck Law Group, APC toll free at 866-999-9085.  We specialize in Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect, Bedsores, Multiple Falls, Malnutrition, and Dehydration.  We can help your injured love one!!!

About the Author

Attorney Steven Peck has been practicing law since 1981. A former successful business owner, Mr. Peck initially focused his legal career on business law. Within the first three years, after some colleagues and friend’s parents endured nursing home neglect and elder abuse, he continued his education to begin practicing elder law and nursing home abuse law.