Sunday, November 9, 2008

Nursing homes across the U.S. receive bonuses despite violations

from DesMoinesRegister.com:

Nursing homes throughout the country are eligible for hundreds of
millions of dollars in taxpayer-funded bonuses despite past violations
of basic health-and-safety standards.

A Des Moines Register
review of 81 bonus payment programs in 36 states shows that some homes
are collecting quality-of-care bonuses approved by the same federal
agency that considers them to be below-average caregivers.

In addition, more than 60 bonus programs exist to help nursing homes do
what they are legally required to do, such as pay the minimum wage or
install fire sprinklers for resident safety.

The total cost to
taxpayers is unknown, according to the Centers for Medicare and
Medicaid Services, which approves and helps fund each of the
bonus-payment programs now in effect but does not track any of those
payments.

No comments: