By CLARK KAUFFMAN • ckauffman@dmreg.com • © 2008, Des Moines Register and Tribune Company • November 9, 2008
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:
Post a Comment