• 18
  • August
    2011

Inspection teams from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently identified significant quality of care and patient safety deficiencies at three Illinois nursing homes. Because of the deficiencies, the nursing homes - Alden Town Manor Rehab & Hcc in Cicero, Columbus Manor Res Care Home in Chicago and Galesburg Terrace in Galesburg, Illinois - were added to the CMS Special Focus Facility (SFF) Initiative.

The SFF initiative was started in 1998 to identify and track poorly performing nursing homes. Routine inspections are held at all nursing homes throughout the United States that receive money from Medicare and Medicaid. While almost all facilities, on average, have 6-7 deficiencies, those that are added to the SFF list have been found to have significantly more or significantly more serious deficiencies as well as a pattern of uncorrected issues over a period of time.

Embassy Health Care Center in Wilmington, Illinois has been on the SFF list for over 47 months but has not improved in the areas it which it was cited for deficiencies. Also failing to improve are Nathan Health Care Center in East Saint Louis and Rockford Nursing & Rehab Center in Rockford. Both have been on the SFF list for nine months.

Finding the Right Illinois Nursing Home

Chicago nursing home abuse and neglect attorneys have seen far too many cases of patient injury due to a lack of supervision or safe facilities in assisted living homes throughout Illinois. Bruises and broken bones from falls, bedsores or pressure ulcers from neglect and dehydration or malnutrition related simply to poor care are all preventable nursing home injuries.

Protecting your loved one starts with investigating the facility or facilities that may become his or her new home. The CMS recommends, above all, visiting a nursing home prior to moving a family member in. Talk to other residents and other families about their experience at the facility. Request a copy of the nursing home's latest CMS survey.

Do your research - learn more about the nursing home using the Nursing Home Compare website. If there have been problems at the nursing home or if it's listed on the current SFF list, ask the staff what is being done to improve patient care and safety at the home.

Source: Special Focus Facility ("SFF") Initiative