Virginia authorities received 517 complaints about nursing homes in 2009, according to data in a new report published by the Government Accountability Office (GAO). The good news is that the rate of complaints per 1,000 residents was somewhat lower than the national average. The not-so-good news is that the GAO is not impressed with the quality of data that states report to the federal government, so it’s hard to know how valid the comparisons are.
Of Virginia’s complaints, nearly all — 515 — were investigated. In none of the cases were nursing home patients deemed to be in immediate jeopardy. But in one quarter of the cases, investigators substantiated at least one deficiency in federal standards of care. (Click map for more legible image.)