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How you do investigate complaints against nursing homes?

A common question we receive is how do I find a good nursing home so my parents will be treated with dignity?  We hear that the nursing home admission staff are very nice, the nursing home is clean, and the nursing home has a full social calendar for the residents, but that does not always mean that the patients are being treated with dignity, adequately fed, and free of painful pressure ulcers and other types of abuse and neglect. 

If you want to dig below the surface to find out how patients are really treated consider making a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the Virginia Department of Health.  You do not need a lawyer and in fact the request can be made by telephone or over the Internet.  Here is a link to the Virginia Department of Health website with specific information on how to request information: http://www.vdh.state.va.us/Administration/FOIA/

The Department of Health will not tell you what to request.  However, I suggest requesting the following documents:

-All survey and inspection reports for the past two (2) years.
-All complaints and complaint findings for the past two (2) years.  By law the Department of Health should redact the names of all patients and the complaining parties.
-All documentation of violations and disciplinary actions against the nursing home in the past two (2) years.

By law the Virginia Department of Health must respond within five (5) business days.  In my experience, they are pretty diligent and generally respond within five days. If you have any questions on how to make a Freedom of Information Act request, please call me at (804) 288-1661 or email me by clicking here.

Regards,

Joshua Silverman