Massachusetts Nursing Homes Failed to Investigate 75% of Serious Complaints Reported
A report from the Office of the Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (USDOH), recently indicated that nearly 75 percent of the serious nursing home complaints in Massachusetts reported last year were not investigated in a timely manner.
More than 1,200 Massachusetts nursing home complaints were reported from 2016 to 2018. Although the overall number of complaints made by nursing homes in the state were lower overall, the state has reportedly been lax in meeting the federal time requirements for investigating reported incidents.
There were 403 nursing home complaints reported in 2018, and 74 percent were not investigated in the time required.
Federal regulations call for serious nursing home complaints, depending upon the nature of the claim, to be investigated within two to 10 days of their occurrence.
Investigation of complaints reported at the more than 15,000 nursing homes in the U.S. are the responsibility of the agencies in the state where they occur.
Compliance Perspective
Failure to investigate to prevent and correct reported complaints within the time limits required by federal regulations may result in situations that place residents in immediate jeopardy for an imminent risk for harm, injury, or even death and may be considered provision of substandard quality of care in violation of state and federal regulations.
Discussion Points:
- Review policies and procedures regarding federal time limits for investigating, preventing, and correcting alleged complaints.
- Training staff about the policies and procedures regarding the required time limits in the federal regulations for investigating reported complaints.
- Periodically audit reported complaints to determine if they are being investigated on a timely basis according to federal regulations.
