Grassley denounces nursing home website

U-S Senator Charles Grassley recently denounced what he calls major flaws with a federal website tracking the quality of nursing homes. But officials at Iowa’s department of Inspections and Appeals say the state’s doing far better with a site of its own. New agency director Steve Young says the data includes inspection reports on more than 800 nursing homes, including up-to-date enforcement actions that currently are under appeal. Young admits some nursing homes have complained about the state publicizing cases in which their appeals might get infractions dismissed. He says its a public-policy decision balancing the interests of all those affected, but 80-percent of complaints are upheld. The state first created its nursing-home report-card site in 1999.It’s gone through changes, but in the last 6 months more than 67-thousand Iowans visited to get info about nursing facilities for their loved ones. Young says the state will continue to maintain and upgrade the site. Editors note; the website is www.dia-hfd.state.ia.us/reportcards/