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Gov’t audit insider: Nursing home abuse in Alabama

Healthcare Auditing Weekly, June 29, 2004

The Alabama Department of Public Health is guilty of not expeditiously and appropriately resolving nursing home abuse allegations, according to an OIG audit report released June 21.

Alabama doesn't investigate abuse allegations within appropriate timeframes, doesn't adequately track and monitor complaints, and does not enforce timely submissions of complaints by nursing facilities, the OIG says.

Additionally, the state failed during the audit period, calendar year (CY) 2003, to properly update the state registry of nurses aides in the event of an allegation, allowing suspected abusers to obtain work elsewhere and to potentially continue to harm other residents.

The OIG did not review internal controls, but did perform the following tasks when auditing the state's department of health:

• Requested a universe of all physical and sexual abuse claims against nursing homes for CY 2002, totaling 311 complaints from 141 facilities
• Reviewed policies and procedures related to reporting of abuse to the state's survey agency
• Examined federal and state criteria for reporting and investigating abuse
• Interviewed officials from CMS, Alabama's survey agency, Alabama Medicaid fraud unit, the nursing facilities, and the state ombudsman

Click here to read the audit report called "Survey of Physical and Sexual Abuse in Alabama Nursing Homes (A-04-03-07027)."

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