PITTSBURGH -- A Team 4 investigation finds two out of five nursing homes in the Pittsburgh area are rated below average by the federal government.
Last year, Medicare began rating nursing homes using a star system with one star being the worst and five stars the best.
Team 4's Paul Van Osdol found there are twice as many one-star homes as there are five-stars in the Pittsburgh area, so Team 4 decided to dig into the ratings to find out why so many homes are rated so poorly.
Video - 
Watch Paul's ReportWhat follows is a transcript of Van Osdol's report. (See inspection reports by clicking the links in the "
RELATED" sidebar box on the right side of this page.)
------
Karen Jordan: "I think about my dad every day. And I miss my dad every day."
Karen Jordan's father, Walter Cumpston, lived the last six months of his life here -- Caring Heights nursing home in Coraopolis, then known as Sycamore Creek.
She chose it because it was close to home -- a decision she came to regret.
Karen Jordan: "It always smelled of urine. It stunk."
And she says her father could never get nurse's aides to help him out, even after he fell repeatedly.
Paul Van Osdol: "Were people checking on him?"
Karen Jordan: "No."
Paul Van Osdol: "How do you know?"
Karen Jordan: "I was there. I would help my dad get up and go to the bathroom."
This woman worked as a nurse's aide at the home while Cumpston was there. She did not want her name revealed because she's now working at another nursing home.
Nurse's Aide: "Sometimes I, one person, me, would have to care for 60 people."
Paul Van Osdol: Sixty people?"
Nurse's Aide: "Sixty people. Things wouldn't get done.They wouldn't get a shower. They wouldn't get up. They'd be sitting in a wheelchair."
Jordan sued the owner of the home, saying it was responsible for the multiple falls that led to her father's death.
A jury found the home was negligent but not responsible for his death. A judge has granted a new trial.
In a telephone interview the administrator at Caring Heights said "there was not negligence" in the case of Walter Cumpston. But she also said the home has seen a "culture change" under new ownership and is taking great care of residents.
But Caring Heights has a one-star overall Medicare rating, which means it is "much below average."
A state inspection in August found 28 patients had not been given proper medication, some to treat such conditions as blood clotting and bacterial infections.
The home's administrator says they've corrected the problems -- but the state has downgraded the home's license to provisional status.
Medicare records show 21 percent of the nursing homes in Western Pennsylvania have one-star overall ratings. Another 18 percent have two stars -- meaning they are below average.
By contrast only 11 percent have the highest rating, five stars.
Attorney Peter Giglione, who specializes in nursing home lawsuits, is not surprised there are so many low-rated homes.
Peter Giglione: "We've had cases here where we've had bedsores this big around and you could see sometimes up into inside the person's body cavity up to the tailbone."
Latrobe Regional Health and Rehabilitation Center is a one-star overall home. It boasts of winning a customer satisfaction award, but inspection reports reveal some unsatisfied customers.
A 2007 inspection found a resident with mental illness "slapping, pulling hair and striking other residents" and another resident who was "scratching and assaulting" residents and staff but the home was doing virtually nothing to help either one.
Perhaps because one nurse's aide was responsible for approximately 30 residents.
Latrobe Regional was fined $16,000.
In a prepared statement, the nursing director said since that inspection the home has "made positive changes and invested in resources to improve the care and services provided at our center."
Forbes Road Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Larimer is also a one-star overall home. Last year, state inspectors found residents smoking while using oxygen, putting all residents in "immediate jeopardy." The home was fined $22,000.
Seven years ago the home did catch fire, sending six residents to the hospital. At the time, Forbes Road was also cited for allowing unsafe smoking.
The home's administrator declined to comment.
The nursing home industry has criticized the star ratings, saying they do not paint an accurate picture.
Among the critics: Dennis Biondi, who oversees the four Kane homes owned by Allegheny County.
He says they're all about the same -- even Kane McKeesport, a one-star home, and Kane Scott Township, which gets four stars.
Paul Van Osdol: "There's no significant differences between Scott and McKeesport?"
Dennis Biondi: "I don't think there is."
But look at the most recent inspection reports. Kane Scott had only two minor violations relating to TB tests for employees. But at Kane McKeesport, multiple violations including a dirty kitchen, drugs stored in a dirty drawer and medication errors.
Paul Van Osdol: "Those are pretty significant, aren't they?"
Dennis Biondi: "They are, they are. They are important but they're not the be-all and end-all in making a decision."
But a top Medicare official says inspections are not the be-all and end-all in determining star ratings.
Roger Lukoff: "You want to look into the staffing levels. You want to look into the performance on quality measures."
Karen Jordan says she hopes more nursing homes pay attention to those measuring sticks.
Karen Jordan: "If places were more staffed and more with qualified people, then things would run a whole lot smoother than they do."
With all these inspections, the nursing homes did say they would address findings and the state approved their plan.
We should point out the Medicare star rating takes into account the last three years of inspections.
If you're trying to decide on a nursing home, experts say you really should visit the home yourself. Here are some things to look for:
- Staffing: are there plenty of nurse aides and are they interacting with residents?
- Residents: are they engaging in activities or just sitting in hallways?
- Smell: does the home have a strong odor?
Also ask to see minutes of monthly resident council meetings, because that's where complaints are aired.
Copyright 2010 by ThePittsburghChannel. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
