New Jersey’s nursing homes are facing scrutiny as a recent federal audit revealed that the state’s most troubled facilities are struggling to meet requirements for life safety, emergency preparedness, and infection control.
Up to 20 of the most problematic facilities in the state were audited by the Office of the Inspector General (OIG), with the agency noting that its report was, therefore, limited in scope. The select facilities were chosen because they had multiple violations or served high-risk populations.
The regulatory violations identified included blocked emergency exits, defective power generators, missing carbon monoxide detectors and failures in Covid-19 protocols.
“As a result, the health and safety of residents, staff, and visitors at the 20 nursing homes are at an increased risk during a fire or other emergency, or in the event of an infectious disease outbreak,” the OIG’s report reads.
Frequent management and staff turnover were cited as primary reasons for the lack of awareness and failure to address federal requirements, the OIG’s report concluded, highlighting several factors contributing to these deficiencies.
The OIG has made several recommendations to improve compliance and enhance the safety of residents, staff, and visitors in New Jersey’s nursing homes.
“We recommend that New Jersey follow up with the 20 nursing homes we reviewed to ensure that they have taken corrective actions regarding the deficiencies identified in this report and instruct all nursing homes to install carbon monoxide detectors in accordance with New Jersey requirements,” the auditors stated.
The audit, conducted from March through May 2022, found that all 20 nursing homes examined in the state had deficiencies in these critical areas, posing an increased risk to the health and safety of residents, staff, and visitors.
In 2016, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) updated regulations aimed at improving protections for Medicare and Medicaid enrollees, particularly those residing in long-term care facilities such as nursing homes. These updates expanded requirements related to life safety, emergency preparedness, and infection control. Nursing homes were mandated to adhere to stricter standards for sprinkler systems, smoke detector coverage, emergency preparedness plans, and the implementation of infection control programs.
During the unannounced site visits, inspectors found a total of 363 deficiencies across the 20 nursing homes. These included 148 deficiencies related to life safety, 152 related to emergency preparedness, and 63 linked to infection control. These deficiencies put residents, staff, and visitors at increased risk during emergencies like fires or infectious disease outbreaks.
