A severe ongoing shortage of inspectors has led to New York City nursing homes facing significant survey delays, reflecting a trend in the larger state and a wider nationwide crisis.
As of June, about 73% of federally designated nursing facilities in the five boroughs of New York had not been inspected within the required 15-month period, according to a news report in the publication, THE CITY.
The implications of these delays are serious – both for nursing homes and their residents. Without timely inspections, critical issues persist unchecked, jeopardizing resident safety and well-being. Meanwhile, for nursing homes, delays in survey inspections causes legal and financial problems.
This lapse is compounded by a nearly 60% vacancy rate in nursing home inspector positions across the U.S. that a 2022 Senate investigation on the state of nursing home surveys revealed.
Moreover, the shortage has left over half of the city’s lowest-rated nursing homes uninspected for more than 15 months, including facilities facing serious quality issues.
The news outlet’s analysis of records show that inspections have lapsed at some of the city’s most troubled facilities, including those with special focus facility, or SFF, designation, which would require it to be inspected every six months.
One such facility noted in the article is Golden Gate Rehabilitation & Health Care Center in Staten Island, which has not been inspected since March 2022, despite past incidents of patient abuse and neglect documented in inspection reports.
The New York State Department of Health acknowledged the inspector shortage and attributed it to pandemic-related workforce challenges. Officials emphasized ongoing efforts to recruit and fill surveyor positions.
“In the wake of the lengthy COVID-19 public health emergency, the Department of Health experienced a significant increase in staff turnover due to retirements and turnover,” spokesperson Monica Pomeroy told THE CITY. “There are workforce shortages in many areas of healthcare delivery and we recognize and prioritize the ongoing need to actively recruit and fill surveyor positions.”
Companies featured in this article:
Golden Gate Rehabilitation & Health Care Center, New York Department of Health
