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By Anthony Cirillo
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Threats of Nursing Home Lawsuits Do Not Improve Care

Posted May 16 2011 9:00am
Nursing homes with high quality ratings are sued almost as often as lower performing nursing homes, according to a new study published by the New England Journal of Medicine . And researchers found litigation or its likelihood does not necessarily result in better care. 

Researchers analyzed information about nursing home lawsuits provided by five large U.S. nursing home chains, between 1998 and 2006. 
  • On average, each nursing home received one claim every two years.
     
  • The most common lawsuits responded to falls (26.6%) and pressure ulcers/bed sores (15.9%).
     
  • Other notable claims cited dehydration, malnutrition and excessive weight loss, physical or verbal abuse and medication errors.
    • "The results are sobering," the study's co-author David Stevenson, told HealthDay News. “One of the fundamental things that the risk of a malpractice claim is supposed to spur is deterring poor quality care. What we found was that the return on being a high-quality facility relative to a low-quality facility isn't great."
    Is this one of those "you can't fight city hall" moments? There is no doubt that we are a litigious society. Many suits are unnecessary and ambulance chasers and people looking for a quick buck are to blame. Then there are legitimate claims that result out of medical error and / or negligence. To think that these do not give the organizations sued pause is disturbing. Perhaps they have built the average cost of lawsuits into their budget!
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