According to a report by federal investigators, more than 90 percent of nursing homes have been cited for violations of federal health and safety standards this past year and profit-oriented homes were more likely to have problems than any other types of nursing homes.

Around 17 percent of nursing homes have had deficiencies that have caused actual harm or jeopardy to patients, according to a report by Daniel R Levinson, the inspector general of the Department of Health and Human Services. This is clearly a sign of nursing home abuse and nursing home neglect

Some of these problems include bedsores, medication issues, lack of nutrition, abuse and neglect of patients.

Inspectors have received more than 37,150 complaints about the conditions of the nursing homes over the past year, and they substantiated over 39 percent of them. Around 1/5 of the complaints were confirmed by both federal and state authorities that were involved in the abuse and neglect of patients.

Around 2/3 of nursing homes are actually for-profit companies, and 27 percent of them are owned by nonprofit groups. Six percent are owned by government entities.

The inspector general claims that 94 percent of these nursing homes were cited for deficiencies over the last year, compared with 88 percent of nonprofit homes and 91 percent of government homes.

On Monday, a compliance guide for nursing homes was issued that says some of the homes have systematically failed to provide staff in enough numbers and with the appropriate clinical expertise to help their residents.

The inspector general found some cases whereby nursing homes were billed Medicare and Medicaid for services that either weren't provided or were so deficient they may as well not have even been provided.

For more information, visit http://www.jrlawfirm.com