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Kansas Agency Could Fall Short On Nursing Home Inspections

Susan NYC
/
flickr, Creative Commons

Officials say the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services is on track to fall short of federal requirements for inspection of 350 nursing home facilities that receive Medicare or Medicaid funding.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that the agency's compliance record for annual inspections has grown worse since 2015, when state employees completed surveys at nearly 80 percent of the state's nursing facilities.

Only 35 percent were inspected in 2017 and the state is on pace to conduct less than 40 percent for 2018.

Department Secretary Tim Keck says the agency needs more inspectors to comply.

Republican Sen. Vicki Schmidt chairs the Legislature's oversight committee on Medicaid. She says the department not being in compliance is a public safety issue.

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