This story previously contained video that showed an image of Forest Hills Care Center, a 5-star rated facility that is not mentioned in the Senate report. That video was erroneously included and it has since been taken down.
Two local nursing homes are on a previously secret federal government list of facilities with a "persistent record of poor care."
In a report released by two U.S. senators Monday, Premier Estates of Cincinnati-Riverside and Woodcrest Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Elsmere, Kentucky, are cited among nearly 400 nursing homes with problems documented by the government but whose names had not publicly disclosed.
The WCPO I-Team examined reports on both nursing homes at Medicare.gov. and both have current overall ratings of "Much Below Average."
SEE the Medicare.gov reports for Premier Estates of Cincinnati-Riverside and Woodcrest Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Elsmere.
The I-Team also reviewed government inspection reports of the nursing homes from the last three years.
At Woodcrest Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Elsmere, a
government inspection on Feb. 8 found that the home:
- Violated residents' right to a safe, clean, comfortable environment;
- Not enough staff;
- Failed to provide insulin on time;
- Unnecessary medications.
At Premier Estates of Cincinnati-Riverside, an inspection on Feb. 13 found:
- Residents received excessive medication;
- Improper care for a patient with a urinary catheter.
The nursing home inspections examine medical care, quality of life, safety and cleanliness.
FIND records for any nursing home in the U.S. at medicare.gov/nursinghomecompare.
The I-Team requested a comment from administrators with both local nursing homes.
The new list of problem nursing homes called Special Focus Facility Candidates had been kept under wraps until two Pennsylvania senators requested it, according to Associated Press. The government previously identified about 80 nursing homes in the Special Focus Facility program that are getting extra scrutiny to help them resolve documented quality problems. SFF nursing homes that don’t improve can be cut off by Medicare and Medicaid.
SEEthe entire list.
Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) and Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) said the secrecy undermines the federal commitment to ensure transparency for families struggling to find nursing homes for loved ones and raises questions about why the names of some homes are not disclosed while others are.
About 1.3 million Americans are nursing home residents, cared for in more than 15,700 facilities. The senators’ report noted that problem nursing homes in both categories account for about 3 percent.
