Report Gives Illinois Nursing Homes Low Marks

By Kevin Bessler | The Center Square

ILLINOIS — U.S. News & World Report is out with their annual nursing home ratings, and many Illinois facilities didn’t make the grade.

The report looked at both short and long term care at 15,000 nursing homes around the country. The facilities were evaluated on patient and resident outcomes, such as infection rates; staffing levels; reliance on antipsychotic drugs; health inspection results and other indicators of quality.

Nearly one in five were recognized as “Best Nursing Homes.” Over 400 nursing homes consistently failed to meet current federal requirements mandating that a registered nurse be available for at least eight hours a day, seven days a week. Over 2,500 U.S. cities and towns have at least one “Below Average”-rated nursing home.

Ben Harder, chief of health analysis at U.S. News, said they analyzed hundreds of nursing homes in Illinois and nearly half received a poor grade.

“We evaluated almost 700 nursing homes in Illinois and 311 of them got a 1 or a 2 on a 5-point scale in our rating, and 82 got a 4 out of 5,” said Harder to The Center Square.

Only 39 Illinois nursing homes received 5 out of 5 points, including facilities in Alton, Quincy, Crystal Lake, Eureka, and Forsyth.

U.S. News’ Best Nursing Homes ratings give patients, senior residents, their families and caregivers an objective assessment of quality, to help them choose the facility that best fits their individual needs,” said Daniel Agudelo, health data analyst at U.S. News.

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