The list released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) represents troubled facilities cited as a ''special focus facility,'' a designation used to identify those that merit more oversight. For these homes, states conduct inspections at six-month intervals rather than annually.
Last November, the government released a partial list of 54 nursing homes that ranked among the worst in their states, balking at releasing the full list of homes with the ''special focus'' designation. After a group of Democratic lawmakers began pushing for full disclosure, CMS said Tuesday it was publishing the names after cross-checking information to ensure the release of the most accurate data.
Mt. Ogden Health and Rehabilitation Center in Ogden was the only Utah facility on the list.
In 2005, a patient died after nursing aides failed to monitor the patient or adequately notify a physician of the patient's declining health. In another incident, a patient was left unattended in a pool for about four minutes and drowned.
In 2006, state inspectors cited Mt. Ogden for not reporting an allegation of abuse for five days and for not informing a physician of a change in a patient's mental condition.
Greg Bateman of the Utah Department of Health said Mt. Ogden was not cited for any "actual harm" problems in 2007. To get off the list, Mt. Ogden will have to undergo two inspections without any major problems and avoid any complaint investigations resulting in actual-harm citations. State inspectors will visit Mt. Ogden twice in the next year.
Sam Hickcox, the facility's administrator, said the incidents that led to Mt. Ogden's placement on the list occurred prior to California-based Ensign Group's purchase of the facility in July 2006.
"Our patient satisfaction is very good," he said. "We are in the business of turning buildings around."
CMS will update its list of troubled nursing homes on a quarterly basis, with its next release scheduled for April.
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* Tribune reporters MATT CANHAM and JULIA LYON contributed to this report.
