Selecting a nursing home or other long term care facility for yourself or a loved one can be a daunting challenge. There are many different types of facilities, and you want to ensure that your loved one is going to be treated well. Keep in mind that nursing homes are required not to accept a person as a resident if the nursing home is not able to meet that person’s care needs. Minnesota’s nursing homes range significantly in the number of residents they care for and vary in the level of care that the resident population requires. Regardless of the size of the population or its acuity level, nursing home must have sufficient number of staff on duty, at any given time, who are competent and capable of properly meeting the care needs of its residents. There are problems in Minnesota’s nursing homes that increase the risk of harm to residents. The Kaiser Family Foundation serve as a non-profit, non-partisan source of facts, information, and analysis for policymakers, the media, the health care community, and the public. Recognized as a leader in health policy and communications, the Kaiser Family Foundation focuses on the major health care issues facing the U.S. The KFF recently published its research about the percentage of of Certified Nursing Facilities in Minnesota with Top Ten Deficiencies 
Not all nursing homes are equal. The risk of harm is greater in some nursing homes. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the federal agency that runs Medicare, has published a list of more than 100 of the worst nursing homes in the country, based on how they fared during government inspections. To qualify for this dubious list, nursing homes had to have been faulted for more “deficiencies” than most nursing homes, and sustain more serious problems and a pattern of problems over several years. The faults can failing to protect residents from falls, drug errors, failing to protect residents from wandering off facility grounds, and failing to provide sound physical, mental or psychological care.
The homes on The List are known as “Special Focus Facilities,” which means they get inspected more often than other nursing homes and can be subject to more stringent penalties over time, up to being barred from receiving Medicare dollars. There are currently two Minnesota nursing homes on The List: Macintosh Manor and Owatonna Commons Nursing & Rehab. As of January 21, 2009, Macintosh Manor has been on the list for 48 months and Owatonna Commons Nursing & Rehab for 11 months. Until recently, two additional Minnesota nursing homes were on The List: Golden Valley Rehabilitation and Care Center (for 22 months) and Woodbury Health Care Center (for 11 months). The Golden Valley Rehabilitation and Care Center is owned and operated by the Extendicare company, which also owns seven other nursing homes in Minnesota: Health & Rehabilitation of New Brighton, Richfield Health, Robbinsdale Rehabilitation & Care, Rose of Sharon Manor (located in Roseville), Park Health & Rehabilitation (located in St. Louis Park), Texas Terrace Care (located in St. Louis Park), and Galtier Health (located in St. Paul). Choosing the right nursing home can be a difficult task. There are, however, a number of resources available to improve the selection process. Medicare has a Nursing Home Comparison Five-Star Quality Rating website, which allows you to search nursing homes by a number of geographical limits for ratings based on Health Inspections, Staffing, and Quality Measures. Medicare also has a Guide to Choosing a Nursing Home (which provides information to help individuals, family members, caregivers, and those who assist them find and compare nursing homes, and make informed decisions about nursing home care). Another resource is the Minnesota Department of Health’s Nursing Home Report Card website, where you can prioritize your search based on the qualities in a facility that are important to you and your loved ones. This database searches the 385 facilities that are certified to participate in government benefits program. In addition to looking into the nursing homes online, visit each facility that you are considering. During your visit, speak to various members of the staff, including nurses, administrators, dietary staff, activity directors, and social services staff. If possible, talking with residents and their families about their experience with each facility may provide meaningful information for your evaluation. Trust your instincts, and pay attention to the things that are important to you and your loved ones. You can find out about prior investigations regarding allegations of neglect or other adverse events at a particular nursing home through the Minnesota Department of Health’s website. You should also be aware of what the rights of nursing residents are. For a more in-depth discussion of nursing home residents’ rights in Minnesota, please see this page. Medicare also offers on-line information about Nursing Home Resident Rights. Before you make a final decision, it is a good idea to look over the admission contract of each facility. Additionally, ask each facility to show you a copy of its annual Health Department Survey reports. If any of the homes you are considering are certified under the government assistance program, you can and should also ask to see their report card during your visit. |
