Centers of Medicare & Medicaid Services Creates Alert to Warn of Nursing Home Abuse

Incidents of Maryland nursing home abuse can be challenging to quantify because many victims are unable to report their injuries. Additionally, loved ones are often placed in subpar institutions because their families did not have the means or ability to evaluate the facility adequately. These factors, in addition to many others, have caused a rising rate of nursing home abuse incidents in Maryland.

According to a recent news report, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) launched a consumer alert feature on its website designed to warn people of nursing home violations. The CMS operates a website called “Nursing Home Compare,” which provides consumers with information about Medicare and Medicaid certified nursing homes in the United States. The website enables individuals to see whether a nursing home meets the minimum federal standards regarding things such as staffing, health, and safety. However, the website does not readily provide a way for people to discover any instances or allegations of abuse against a nursing home. In fact, a recent Senate report publicized a government finding of increasing nursing home abuse cases by facilities that rated as poorly performing but did not receive additional scrutiny.

The new alert intends to offer consumers a new and easy way to identify nursing homes with citations and other safety violations quickly. The alert will go live in October, 2019 and will flag facilities that had negative inspection reports on abuse in the past year or behaviors that could have led to harm in the past two years.

Some common forms of nursing home abuse in Maryland are depriving a resident of appropriate meals, tampering with a resident’s finances, physically or emotionally assaulting a resident, and neglecting their medical needs. Sadly, many residents are unable to remember or accurately convey the abuse they are suffering, and many care providers take advantage of this deficit. However, mistreatment can result in long-lasting and sometimes deadly consequences for the resident and their families. Victims may incur significant costs to treat the effects of neglected care and abuse, and this may include payments for additional medications, surgeries, and psychological care. Additionally, the costs of moving to another temporary facility or paying for home health care may also take a financial toll on the victim and their loved ones. It is crucial that families who believe their loved one is suffering abuse or neglect in a nursing home contact a Maryland nursing home abuse attorney.

Has Your Loved One Suffered Nursing Home Abuse in Maryland?

If your loved one has suffered injuries or premature death because of the negligent treatment provided by a Maryland nursing home, contact the experienced attorneys at Lebowitz &Mzhen, Personal Injury Lawyers. The Maryland nursing home abuse attorneys at Lebowitz & Mzhen understand the devastating impact that nursing home abuse has on individuals and their families. The attorneys have represented countless Maryland injury victims and gotten them the compensation they deserve. Compensation includes payments for things such as past medical bills, reparative surgeries, future medical needs, and pain and suffering. Contact Lebowitz & Mzhen at 800-654-1949 to schedule your free initial consultation.

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