New Abuse Icon
on Nursing Home Compare
To better inform the public about nursing homes where abuse
and neglect occurs the Medicare.gov/ Nursing Home Compare website has a new red
hand abuse icon (pictured here).
Every nursing home resident should receive safe care and be
treated with respect at all times. Abuse and neglect are never acceptable.
Beginning October 23, 2019, the red hand icon was added to the Nursing Home
Compare website, whenever a facility is cited at inspection for: 1) abuse that
led to harm of a resident within the past year; and/or 2) abuse that could have
potentially led to harm of a resident in each of the last two years. To ensure
the latest information is available to the public, the icon will be updated
monthly, as inspection results are posted. Consumers will have this important
information sooner as they consider their long-term care options.
Better public information, such as use of the icon, was
prompted by requests from government oversight entities, congressional members
and advocates. If you or someone you know is or has been abused in an adult
care facility, report it to local law enforcement by calling 911 and to the Adult
Abuse hotline in your state. In Kansas, call 1-800-842-0078. In Missouri, call
1-800-392-0210. In Arkansas, call 1-800-582-4887. If it is an emergency, or a crime is
suspected, call 911 immediately.
Abuse is defined as the willful infliction of injury,
unreasonable confinement, intimidation, or punishment with resulting physical
harm, pain or mental anguish. Abuse may be verbal, sexual, physical, mental and
financial.
Nursing homes cited for abuse are required to take steps to
protect their residents. If you’re considering a nursing home that’s been cited
for abuse, we encourage you to ask the administrator and staff what corrections
have been made, and what they’re doing to keep residents safe from abuse,
neglect, mistreatment, or exploitation.
Abuse or neglect can happen at any time. The icon is a very
positive step in the right direction to alert residents and the public. It
provides accountability by the nursing home where abuse or neglect has
occurred. Here is the link for Medicare’s Nursing Home Compare: https://www.medicare.gov/nursinghomecompare/search.html?
Note: If a facility is NOT certified by Medicare or
Medicaid, it is not included on Nursing Home Compare. Those nursing homes
should be licensed by the state.
