Major Falls are Wildly Under-reported in Alabama Nursing Homes
A nursing home’s most important responsibility is to keep its residents safe. That includes preventing falls, choking, wandering, or elopement, and other incidents that can cause serious harm. It also means carefully documenting and reporting any such incidents that do occur.
Unfortunately, too many facilities fail to meet that responsibility, often due to neglect. As WAFF 48 recently reported, nearly half of all major falls inside nursing homes went completely unreported over a single year.
What the Inspector General Study Found
A recent study conducted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) found that nationwide, 43% of major resident falls between July 2022 and June 2023 went unreported. According to the Inspector General’s report, the under-reporting was worst in:
- Larger nursing homes
- For-profit and chain nursing homes
- Non-rural nursing homes
The Inspector General also found that falls were most underreported among younger residents, short-stay residents, male residents, and residents with only Medicare coverage.
Finally, the IG found that nursing homes with the lowest reported fall rates on Care Compare—a nursing home comparison tool provided by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)—also had the highest rates of under-reporting, suggesting that the fall rates on Care Compare reflect under-reporting rather than actual low fall incidence.
“Care Compare does not provide the public with accurate information about how often nursing home residents fell,” the report concluded.
As WAFF reported, the results here in Alabama were close to the national average, with about 36 to 50 percent of major falls going unreported.
Findings Highlight the Need For More Accountability in Nursing Homes
It’s important to emphasize that the Inspector General’s report focused on major falls; that is, those leading to major injury and/or hospitalization. These incidents need to be documented and carefully examined to prevent them from happening again. Instead, nursing homes, especially for-profit nursing homes, are sweeping them under the proverbial rug.
When falls go unreported without consequence, nursing homes continue to get away with putting profits ahead of resident safety and leaving our elders at risk of serious injury. That’s why it’s so important for injured residents and their families to hold facilities accountable through the civil justice system.
An experienced nursing home neglect attorney can get to the bottom of your loved one’s fall, find out who was responsible, and pursue the financial compensation they deserve under Alabama law. Taking legal action against nursing homes not only provides families with a degree of accountability and justice but also sends a strong message that nursing homes must keep their residents safe.
Shuttlesworth Law Firm Can Help Your Family Demand Justice
If your loved one was injured in a fall or other incident in a nursing home, you have rights and options under Alabama law. We can protect them.
Attorney Perry Shuttlesworth and the team at Shuttlesworth Law Firm, P.C. have been fighting for the injured for decades, and our track record of results includes a $1 million settlement for a nursing home resident who died due to neglect. To see how we can help with your potential legal case, give us a call or contact us online today.
"I can't say enough kind words about Mr. Shuttlesworth and his law firm staff. From the first day that I got in touch with them regarding my problem, they were on top of things. Kept me informed of every action and how the case was going. Mr. Shuttlesworth is a compassionate man. Very knowledgeable of the law. He will fight for you. So if you have a loved one who has been neglected, abused, or even killed by someone you are paying to take care of your loved one, Shuttlesworth Law Firm is the one to call. He won my case. Thank you, Mr. Shuttlesworth. – Debbie C., ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐