However, there are about 400 additional nursing homes in the U.S. that also are considered by the federal agency to have a persistent record of poor care but aren’t part of the special monitoring program because the federal agency has limited resources, according to a report by the U.S. Senate.
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The report published this week publicly revealed the names of those nursing homes that as of April were candidates for the monitoring program but didn't make the list. That list includes 18 nursing homes in Ohio, such as Beavercreek Health and Rehab.
“Despite being indistinguishable from participants in terms of their qualifications for enhanced oversight, candidates are not publicly disclosed. As a result, individuals and families making decisions about nursing home care for themselves or for a loved one are unlikely to be aware of these candidates,” stated the report issued by U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., and Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa.
A message was left with Beavercreek Health and Rehab and with Trio seeking more information.
The Dayton Daily News previously reported that Beavercreek Health and Rehab, operated by Trio Healthcare, is among nursing homes that Medicare considers to have staffing levels that are “much below average” compared to other nursing homes.
Beavercreek Health and Rehab was federally fined three times in the last three years — once in 2016 and twice in 2017 — and was denied payment by Medicare one time in the last three as penalties for problems.
The nursing home, at 3854 Park Overlook Drive, has 90 certified beds and was formerly called Pristine Senior Living and Post-Acute Care of Beavercreek before it sold last year to Trio.
Nursing homes recieve regular inspections, which are also called surveys. Pete Van Runkle, executive director of the Ohio Health Care Association, a trade group that represents nursing homes, said that the list is based only on how nursing homes scored on their most recent survey, not taking into consideration any other metrics of a center’s performance.
Van Runkle said the list is a moving target and the list that was released is through April and will change in a week or two.
According to Van Runkle, nursing homes can be judged based on things that happened more than three years ago and that can distort the picture when a new operator takes over a building. The center might end up on the list based on problems that happened before a new operator took over.
MORE: Local nursing homes struggle with staffing. Here’s what we know.
About 1.3 million Americans are nursing home residents, cared for in more than 15,700 facilities. The senators’ report noted that problem nursing homes on both lists account for about 3 percent.
Consumers can identify special focus facilities on the government’s Nursing Home Compare website by looking for an icon shaped like a small yellow triangle that resembles a traffic “caution” sign. The website does not display starred quality ratings for the special focus facilities. Usually, nursing homes receive from a low of one star to the highest quality score of five stars.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
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