Federal and State Nursing Home Laws and Regulations

All nursing homes that receive Medicare and Medicaid funds must comply with the provisions of the Nursing Home Reform Act (OBRA 1987). These are minimum standards put in place to ensure that nursing homes provide "services and activities to attain or maintain the highest practicable physical, mental, and psychosocial well-being of each resident."

Compliant nursing homes must do the following:

• Upon admitting a new resident, conduct a comprehensive assessment of the resident’s functional capacity
• Develop and maintain a comprehensive care plan for the resident
• Maintain vision and hearing abilities in residents via medical treatment or assistive devices
• Prevent the deterioration of a resident’s ability to carry out day-to-day functions such as bathing, grooming, dressing, eating, and communicating.
• Provide the services necessary to maintain good nutrition, hydration, grooming, and oral hygiene for a resident who is otherwise unable to perform these tasks
• Ensure that residents do not develop unnecessary bed sores, and provide necessary treatment to existing bed sores to promote healing, and to prevent infection and the development of new bed sores
• Maintain proper nutrition and hydration in residents
• Provide and maintain sufficient nursing staff
• Make every effort to prevent accidents through adequate supervision and assistive equipment
• Ensure that residents receive proper medication at proper dosages
• Maintain the dignity and respect of residents
• Maintain each resident’s right to freely choose activities, health care options, and schedules
• Maintain complete and accurate medical records for each resident that are readily available

Click here to leat more about the Nursing Home Reform Act of 1987.

If you live in the Arizona area, and suspect that you or a loved one has suffered from nursing home abuse or neglect, or if you have further questions regarding nursing home residents’ rights, please contact the medically trained and experienced nursing home abuse and neglect attorneys at Cullan & Cullan today to schedule your no-cost, confidential consultation.