Five Iowa Nursing Homes Still Among Nation’s Worst

Its bad enough for an Iowa nursing home to make the federal list of the worst nursing homes in the nation. But its actually worse that after several years on that list, five Iowa nursing facilities remain stuck there.

The Cedar Rapids Gazette reports that the list of the nation's worst performing senior homes is known as the special-focus facilities list, and is updated every quarter. Homes on this list are deemed to have a "history of serious quality issues." They are then enrolled in a special program that is intended to improve the quality of care through oversight. However, five Iowa nursing homes have now remained on that list for two years.

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In addition to the two Iowa homes on the list, there are 10 more facilities in the state that qualify for based on their poor performance, according to the Gazette. In order for any of those homes to be included on the list, and get the regulatory help they need, one of the other homes has to improve enough to be removed.

The two Iowa nursing homes that remained on the list the longest are,

• QHC Winterset North in Madison County
• Touchtone Healthcare Community in Sioux City

You can view a list of the other Iowa nursing homes that qualify for inclusion on the list HERE.

The bottom line is, Iowa's seniors deserve better. It's clear that this government program isn't working if homes can't get removed from the list after receiving assistance. Members of Congress have been critical of how the program works. We'll have to see if that concern leads to action.