Choosing a nursing home can be one of the most emotional and difficult decisions a family can make. To help ease that burden, the nonprofit newsroom ProPublica has updated its Nursing Home Inspect tool to provide more clarity about who makes decisions about resident care.
In addition to reviewing safety records and health violations, families can now search for facility owners. This new nursing home ownership lookup feature provides you with a deeper look into the organization responsible for the daily care and well-being of your loved one.
If you have questions or concerns about possible nursing home abuse or neglect, contact Lanzone Morgan, LLP, to schedule a free consultation.
The Key Features of the Updated Nursing Home Inspect Tool
To provide families with greater transparency, ProPublica has introduced the following powerful features to its Nursing Home Inspect tool:
- Ownership and leadership search: You can now search for specific nursing home owners, managers, or executive officers.
- Comprehensive ownership connections: The tool shows all references to an owner across multiple facilities, often uncovering relationships that standard government data might miss.
- Co-owner visibility: When you search for a specific person or company, the database now automatically highlights other individuals or entities who frequently appear alongside them.
- Customized filtering: You can narrow down your ownership search by geographic location or the specific professional role the person holds within the home.
How to Navigate the Nursing Home Inspect Tool to Find Ownership
To search the nursing home ownership database with the ProPublica tool, follow these steps:
- Access the nursing home database by visiting the Nursing Home Inspect page.
- Using the search bar at the top of the page, enter a facility name, company name, or individual owner’s name.
- You can refine your search by using the drop-down menu next to the search bar to filter for nursing homes, states, or counties.
- The results page will have tabs at the top for Homes, Inspection Reports, and Ownership. Click on “Ownership” to see more information and details on nursing home ownership.
The Tool’s Impact on Nursing Home Accountability
ProPublica’s tool update helps families look beyond a single facility and see an owner’s full track record. By searching an owner’s entire portfolio, families can spot patterns of nursing home abuse or neglect. What might seem like an isolated incident could turn out to be recurring issues at more than one of the owner’s facilities.
If the owner has received “immediate jeopardy” citations, these are serious warnings that a resident’s safety was at imminent risk. Seeing these citations across multiple homes owned by the same group helps families identify systemic failures. This information can help empower families to make more informed choices and help their loved ones receive the dignity, care, and security they deserve.
Why Ownership Transparency Matters
For many families, it can feel like the nursing home owners who make the actual decisions for the facility hide behind confusing corporate titles and corporate structures. This lack of transparency makes it difficult to hold owners accountable when care falls short, and residents suffer the consequences.
Research often shows that frequent nursing home ownership changes between profit-focused companies are associated with a decline in the quality of care. When owners prioritize their bottom lines over residents’ needs, it can lead to reduced staffing and fewer resources for those who need them most.
Transparency is the first step in ensuring those who profit from these facilities are also held responsible for the safety and comfort of the elderly or dependent adults they serve.
Recent News About Nursing Home Ownership
Complex ownership structures in California nursing homes can make it difficult for the public to understand who is responsible for poor quality care or financial mismanagement. Here are recent reports of investigations, violations, and issues affiliated with nursing home owners:
- Nursing homes affiliated with Shlomo Rechnitz are facing multiple lawsuits after patients suffered physical harm and neglect. Our California nursing home abuse lawyers secured a $7,637,000 verdict for a veteran harmed at one of the facilities connected ot Rechnitz.
- A nursing home owned by Shlomo Rechnitz faced a lawsuit connected to over 24 COVID-related deaths.
- Genesis HealthCare, one of the country’s largest nursing home chains, has filed for bankruptcy and proposed a company restructuring plan. The proposed plan involves a sale to a private equity firm and the clearing of the owner’s liabilities, leaving creditors and victims of neglect with few options to recover financially. The bankruptcy proceedings are ongoing.
Begin Your Journey to Justice With a Nursing Home Abuse Claim
Protecting your loved one starts with looking beneath the surface. We encourage every family to vet facilities and their ownership history before committing. By understanding who truly runs a home, you can identify whether a facility is backed by a provider with a legacy of compassion or a history of prioritizing profits over people.
At Lanzone Morgan, LLP, we advocate for the rights, safety, and dignity of the elderly community. If you suspect a loved one was neglected or mistreated at a nursing home, we’re here to help you report the abuse, explore your legal options, and fight for justice.
Call 888-887-9777 or contact us online for a free consultation today.