More than 90 percent of nursing homes have been cited for violations of federal health and safety standards. For-profit homes were more likely to have problems than other types.
About 17 percent of nursing homes had deficiencies that caused “actual harm or immediate jeopardy” to patients. Problems included infected bedsores, medication mix-ups, poor nutrition, and abuse and neglect of patients.
Inspectors received more than 37,000 complaints about conditions in nursing homes last year, and they substantiated 39 percent of them. About one-fifth of the verified complaints involved the abuse or neglect of patients.