A study in the journal Medical Care contends that many hospitalizations that nursing home residents undergo each year are preventable with proper care.
Hospitalizations of long-term nursing home residents are common. Anyone who has worked in the field knows that they happen frequently. This study’s objective is to determine whether or not there are certain common characteristics of nursing homes where residents are more likely to require a hospitalization.
The study attempted to take into account variables between states and unavoidable conditions. There were a large amount of data analyzed. It was comprised of roughly 10% of all nursing homes between 2006 and 2008.
The results were remarkable. Three out of five hospitalizations from nursing homes could have been avoided with proper care. Most of the hospitalizations were for infections, injuries, and congestive heart failure. The study also found that levels of staffing could have a significant effect on avoidable hospitalizations.
That three out of five nursing home hospitalizations were found to be avoidable is surprising, but the overall result really isn’t. As a Chicago nursing home lawyer, I’ve spoken to many nursing home residents and their families who have been hospitalized after nursing home falls and developing bed sores. There’s never been any doubt that these injuries and infections were avoidable.
For a nation that’s currently fixated on medical costs, these avoidable emergency room and other hospital visits are extremely costly. Nursing homes typically pay only modest fines for hospitalizations that can result in thousands of dollars in avoidable medical care.
The only way to improve nursing home care is by taking the profit away from nursing homes that fail to provide proper care. If you have a loved one who has been the victim of nursing home neglect in an Illinois nursing home, contact the Law Offices of Barry G. Doyle for a free and confidential evaluation of your case. At my law offices we never charge a fee unless we earn a recovery for you.