Texas is hoping to soon begin the work of cleaning up the nursing home industry in the state.
A recent AARP report determined that the condition of nursing homes in Texas was, on average “shamefully poor.” And, in a separate report from 2015, more than half of the long-term care facilities in the state received just one or two stars out of a possible five.
But,as The Texas Tribune reports, a new law taking effect in September will increase the consequences for long-term care facilities that are repeatedly cited for violations. Many such facilities have for years been avoiding hefty fines, through a loophole in state law. The loophole allowed facilities to correct the problem before they were punished, but it’s resulted in shabby care.
Scot Kibbe, of the Texas Health Care Association disapproves of the law. “Many [facilities] are struggling for lack of funding . . . If you keep tacking on penalties, you’re not solving the problem.”