Report: La. Nursing Home Rank Poorly On Quality

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — The quality of care at Louisiana's  nursing homes is among the worst in the nation, with high rates of bed sores and physical restraints and low levels of nursing staff.

Those details are included in a report released Monday by Legislative Auditor Daryl Purpera's office that looks at state spending on nursing homes.

The number of people confined to nursing homes in Louisiana is dropping, but the state still provides more long-term elderly care through the facilities than other states, according to the report.

Nursing homes received $892 million this year from Louisiana's Medicaid program, according to a House budget analysis.

Joe Donchess, Louisiana Nursing Home Association executive director, says the facilities are graded at a harsher standard in this Medicaid region. He says the facilities provide high quality care.

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