New Jersey provides portal for complaints about Nursing Home Care
To say that the care-delivery system in New Jersey’s nursing homes in 2020 has been fraught with problems and perils is, of course, an understatement. Certain facilities are just now beginning to admit new residents, and many new procedures for infection control and care delivery have to be put in place. The NJ Attorney General announced on April 16th that he is embarking on an...
Ways that the NJ Ombudsman can be helpful in nursing home problems
New Jersey has a state-level Long-Term Care Ombudsman (LTCO), previously known as the Ombudsman for the Institutionalized Elderly whose mission is to protect the rights of individuals who reside in facility settings which are nursing homes (skilled nursing facilities), assisted living facilities, group homes and continuing care retirement communities. Each of these facilities is highly...
New federal rating system for nursing homes could show drop in scores
On February 20th, the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) launched a new rating system for nursing homes which is based on factors that go beyond self-reported data, and will reflect auditing of self reports. Staffing levels must be reported quartely, and will be cross-matched against payroll records to verify accuracy. The use of antipsychotic medications will now be a...