WASHINGTON (AP) – A government audit is faulting Medicare after investigators discovered that more than 1 in 4 cases of possible sexual and physical abuse against nursing home patients apparently went unreported to police.
The Health and Human Services inspector general’s office says corrective action is needed right away.
The audit of a large sample of cases found that Medicare has not enforced a federal law requiring nursing homes to immediately notify police of suspected crimes against residents.
Auditors identified 134 cases across 33 states in which emergency room records indicated possible sexual or physical abuse of nursing home residents, from 2015-2016.
In 38 of those (28 percent), investigators could find no evidence the incident had been reported to police.
Medicare says it is committed to seeing that all incidents are fully investigated.
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