Nevertheless, they confirm that problems persist in nursing homes, such as malnutrition, abuse, pressure sores, and over-medication. The problems they identify are similar to the problems highlighted in their program reporting systems. In addition to trends in survey and certification deficiencies and ombudsman complaints, there are further indications that problems continue to exist in nursing homes. For example, the Office of Inspector General is responsible for excluding from participation in the Medicare and Medicaid programs nursing home workers who are convicted of patient abuse or neglect. Since 1995, we excluded 668 nursing home workers for this reason nationwide.
Some nursing homes appear to be repeatedly deficient.
Nursing home staffing levels. Many of the problems I have been talking about suggest that inadequate levels of nursing home staff contribute to this poor quality of care. State Aging Unit Directors agree that inadequate staffing levels is one of the major problems in nursing homes. In addition, the type and extent of survey deficiencies and ombudsman complaints suggest that nursing home staffing levels may be inadequate. Common personal care problems such as lack of nutrition and poor care for incontinence suggest that staffing is inadequate to provide the level of care needed to avoid these problems.