The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) is a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that is tasked with monitoring and preventing, among other things, nursing home abuse. Periodically, the OIG conducts audits of various HHS programs and their contractors.
Under federal law, nursing homes that are involved in Medicaid and Medicare programs will be audited by the federal government. These audits are intended to reveal any defects in their care or service and ensure that they are corrected. Nursing homes must meet certain standards of safety and care, and if they do not provide the auditing agency with a correction plan, they are at risk for being sanctioned and shut down.
In previous years, issues have arisen because some state agencies failed to ensure that nursing homes actually completed their correction plans. This is very alarming because these nursing facilities are entrusted with many emotionally and physically fragile individuals, who are often unable to advocate on their own behalf or report their abuse.
According to a recent report, the federal government conducted an audit that revealed a disturbing amount of unreported suspected abuse. An investigative reporter, who has been following nursing homes that have been accused of abuse, found that Pennsylvania state inspectors cited almost half of the state’s nursing homes for some sort of abuse. The abuse included some incidents that resulted in serious physical injuries and sexual abuse.
Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect in Maryland
Nursing home abuse and neglect can be one of the most tragic events for a family to endure. Families who have entrusted their loved one’s care to these agencies do not expect that the people caring for them will abuse their loved ones. Some common forms of abuse that occur in nursing homes are verbal abuse, sexual abuse, roughly handling the patients, not monitoring abuse among patients, and general neglect. When someone suspects that this type of abuse may be occurring, it is important they seek medical attention for their family member and consult with a Maryland injury attorney to discuss which potential recourse there may be.
Do You Suspect Your Loved One is Being Abused in a Maryland Nursing Home?
Nursing home abuse can be difficult to establish because of the vulnerability of the abused victim and the lengths to which nursing homes will go in an attempt at protecting their government funding and reputation. If you have reason to believe that your loved one is being abused or neglected in a Maryland nursing home, you should contact the experienced and dedicated attorneys at Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers to discuss your rights and remedies. Your loved one may be entitled to monetary compensation for the injuries they have sustained. Contact the office at 1-800-654-1949 to schedule your free initial consultation.
More Blog Posts:
Spotting Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Before It Is Too Late, Maryland Nursing Home Lawyer Blog, published April 20, 2018.
Nursing Home Employees Are More Likely to Abuse “Difficult” Residents, Maryland Nursing Home Lawyer Blog, published May 7, 2018.