The Illinois Department of Public Health (IPDH) released the results of a study conducted pursuant to the Nursing Home Care Act (Care Act) which culminated in a list of nursing home facilities which violated the standards enumerated in the Care Act. The Care Act was passed to comprehensively regulate nursing homes after a series of high-profile incidents put pressure on the Legislature. The Care Act regulates nursing homes in several important ways, including, funding a study that is publicly available.
The Study
The study reviewed all nursing care facilities in Illinois and studied them for violations that could occur in 2016. The IPDH conducts the nursing care facility review every year and releases the results in the first quarter of the following year.
The study identifies three distinct types of violations. Type C violations are relatively minor violations that are subject to a warning but no fine. Type B violations are more serious and may or may not be subject to a fine; it depends on the type, nature, and number of violations. Finally, Type A violations are the most serious and result in a $25,000, with the possibility the penalty could be doubled. Type A violations identify issues that are highly likely to lead to serious injury or death to a resident.
The Results
In the first quarter of 2015, 14 nursing facilities were identified as Type A violators. In the second quarter, the IPDH identified 21 Type A nursing home perpetrators. In the third quarter, there were 14 nursing homes guilty of Type A violations. Finally, in the fourth quarter of 2015, the IPDH fined 26 facilities for committing Type A offenses. The study identified 357 facilities who committed either Type A, B, or C violations (or any combination thereof) in 2016. Of those, 75 facilities or 21 percent, were guilty of Type A violations.
The Study is Publicly Available
The study is published on the IPDH government website. It is also released to several media organizations. The goal of the publication is to educate the public on nursing homes that fail to comply with Care Act safety and residential care regulations. It is believed that public pressure on these facilities, will improve their standard of care. Additionally, the Care Act utilizes the power of the free market by ensuring that the public knows everything it can about nursing homes prior to enrolling their loved one in a facility.
