Elder Law

Nursing Home Violations Cause Concern

By Levin & Perconti

The epidemic of poor care in nursing home, highlighted by a new government report, has people calling for better incentives for the nursing home industry as a whole. A bad incentive for the industry arises from the ability of nursing home facilities to shunt series cases of nursing home abuse or injury in into a secretive, industry-controlled arbitration system. Many admission contracts now contracts now contain skewed arbitration clauses that residents, often in the midst of a crisis, are in no position to weigh or refuse. By keeping examples of nursing home abuse out of court and out of the public record, nursing homes hide abuses and avoid accountability. The solution is a bipartisan bill that would protect residents and families from being forced into arbitration unwillingly. The passing of this bill would be an important step toward protecting residents and improving the quality of care. To read the full story, click here.

Full post as published by Illinois Nursing Home Abuse Blog on October 10, 2008 (boomark / email).