Widespread deficiencies often go unreported.
A report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) states that widespread deficiencies involving malnutrition, bedsores, medication errors and abuse of nursing home residents, are often understated and underreported. Nursing homes are typically inspected once a year by state employees working under contract with the federal government, which sets stringent standards. Federal officials try to validate the work of state inspectors by accompanying them or doing follow-up surveys within a few weeks. Los Angeles accident lawyer GAO found that state employees had missed at least one serious deficiency in 15 percent of the inspections checked by federal officials. In nine states, inspectors missed serious problems in more than 25 percent of the surveys analyzed from 2002 to 2007.