U.S. News & World Reports Nursing Home Rankings

As our population ages, more and more people are seeking to reside in nursing homes to deal with the physical and mental issues that often accompany growing older. When people enter nursing homes, they expect to be treated with dignity and with adequate medical care. They naturally expect that employees of the nursing home are appropriately trained to perform their intended functions. Unfortunately, this is not always the case, and every day people are mistreated and neglected in nursing homes. Common kinds of nursing home injuries that may result from neglect include:

• Bed sores
• Malnourishment
• Dehydration
• Falls
• Infections
• Emotional distress or depression

Before choosing a nursing home for yourself or your loved ones, it is important to thoroughly research potential facilities to determine whether they would be a good fit for your needs and also to see whether they have a reputation for a high level of care. Luckily for consumers, there is both public and private oversight of long term care facilities intended to help consumers choose a facility that is right for them.

Because of widespread reports of abuse and neglect, the federal government enacted laws in 1987 that require nursing homes to comply with federal regulations in order to participate in Medicare and Medicaid. The Indiana State Department of Health also regulates nursing homes and residential care facilities by administering licensing requirements for these businesses. In order to provide nursing home oversight, people may report complaints about care provided at any licensed or certified healthcare facility to the department, and the department investigates all reports. There are also federal laws that require people who own, operate, are employed by, manage, contract with, or are agents of a long term care facility to report reasonable suspicion of a crime against a resident to the state.

In addition to looking to state and federal regulations and reporting requirements in evaluating a particular facility, a potential resident can turn to private organizations or companies that publish data and rankings about long term care facilities. One such publication is the U.S. News and World Report, which rates nursing homes based on health inspections, nurse staffing, and quality of medical care. According to U.S News, the organization collects data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and organizes it in a meaningful way to assist consumers in evaluating and choosing a nursing home facility.

Before choosing a nursing home for yourself or your loved one, you should make sure to thoroughly research the facility’s track record in terms of patient care and any citations or complaints they may have received. Nursing home abuse in Indiana and neglect is a serious problem that can significantly impact some of the most vulnerable members of our society. People or families of people who have suffered injuries due to nursing home abuse or neglect may be able to bring an Indiana medical malpractice lawsuit against the facility or other parties.

In order to determine whether you have a claim, you should contact an experienced Indiana medical malpractice lawsuit. Anyone who suspects nursing home neglect or abuse should also contact an Indianapolis nursing home abuse lawyer or South Bend medical malpractice lawyer to initiate an investigation.