Miller filed her complaint in late December. Checking out Miller's complaint, a state investigator visited the home March 8, substantiating that the nursing home didn't have enough staff, residents weren't provided drinking water, and that Napier was once taken to the hospital without Miller being notified. Nursing homes are generally given several weeks to fix a problem before facing a penalty. Citations used to result in a re-inspection. But in recent months, a telephone call from Lansing has become a routine substitute.
Regulators simply ask a nursing home administrator whether the problems have been fixed.
If the administrator says yes and is willing to put it in writing, that's good enough. The process is called a desk audit or facility attestation. And Citizens for Better Care is alarmed that it is becoming a regular substitute for an on-site reinspection. Regulators say the situation results from a lack of people, time and money to conduct all the needed inspections. They emphasize that desk audits are not used to clear up citations involving problems that place residents in jeopardy.