Trends in Nursing Home Deficiencies and Complaints

This study describes the nature and extent of nursing home deficiencies and complaints in 2007 and identifies trends from 2005 to 2007. In each of the past 3 years, over 91 percent of nursing homes surveyed were cited for deficiencies and a greater percentage of for-profit nursing homes were cited for deficiencies than not-for-profit and government nursing homes. During those same years, the most common deficiency categories cited were quality of care, resident assessment, and quality of life. Additionally, 17 percent of nursing homes surveyed in 2007 were cited for actual harm or immediate jeopardy deficiencies, and 3.6 percent were cited for substandard quality-of-care deficiencies-a slight increase since 2005. Lastly, the number of substantiated complaints decreased nearly 3 percent since 2005. This study is part of OIG's continuing commitment to addressing the quality of care in nursing homes. The information provided in this memorandum report is based on an analysis of data from CMS's Online Survey and Certification Reporting System.