Auditor General DePasquale Demands Accountability on Nursing Home Oversight to Keep Pennsylvanians Safe
Auditor General DePasquale Demands Accountability on Nursing Home Oversight to Keep Pennsylvanians Safe
HARRISBURG (Nov. 15, 2018) – Auditor General Eugene DePasquale today said his office will follow up on his audit of the Department of Health’s (DOH) oversight of nursing homes to ensure the continued safety of older adults and people with disabilities.
“Responding to complaints about nursing homes should be one of the Department of Health’s most important responsibilities,” DePasquale said, noting that during the audit, DOH began accepting anonymous complaints, a practice that stopped in 2012.
“My 2016 audit also found that adequate staffing levels directly impact the quality of care provided to 90,000 Pennsylvanians — more than the population of Lancaster and Johnstown combined — who live in nursing homes.
“My audit contained 13 findings and 23 recommendations – an enormous scope of issues – and the Department of Health pledged to make improvements. I have directed my team to follow up to measure just how much progress the Department of Health has made since then.”
The Pennsylvania Department of Health nursing home oversight audit, which covered 2014 and 2015, identified deficiencies in three key issue areas:
- Inadequate review of nurse staffing levels,
- Complaint handling, and
- Sanctions against poor-performing facilities.
The full report is available online at www.PaAuditor.gov.
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