The Division of Nursing Home Monitoring conducts nursing home inspections to assure compliance with State and Federal regulations using a detailed process called Survey Protocol for Long Term Care Facilities. The surveys are conducted an average of every 12 months.

Each surveys results in the issuance of a survey report (Form CMS 2567) that describes in detail any regulations not met and gives examples of why they are not met.  The facility must post this report and make it available to residents and family.

A revisit survey is performed within 60 days after the annual survey, and lasts from 1 to 2 days or more depending on the number and seriousness of the violations that have to be verified as corrected. If any of the violations are not corrected or substantially corrected, the surveyors perform additional revisits as required by the enforcement system. The surveyors can discover new violations at revisits and cite them. When this happens, the home must correct the new citations as well as the old ones by deadlines imposed by the enforcement system.

If a serious violation is discovered that would place one or more residents in immediate jeopardy or serious injury or death, the surveyors will stay at the nursing home until the situation is abated.

Types of facilities that are inspected by the Division of Nursing Home Monitoring

The term "nursing home" refers to the long term care facilities the Division monitors. However, under state law there are three types of facilities that are inspected:

•  Nursing homes that are owned and operated by for profit or not for profit private entities. There are currently about 372 such facilities in Michigan, all but 9 of which participate in Medicare and/or Medicaid.
• County medical care facilities are owned and operated by county governments. There are currently 36 such facilities in Michigan, all of which participate in Medicare and/or Medicaid.
• Hospital long term care units are owned and operated by hospitals as part of their overall hospitals operations. These units must comply with state hospital rules rather than nursing home rules, but must comply with the federal Requirements for Long Term Care Facilities if they participate in Medicare and/or Medicaid. There are currently 26 such units in Michigan and all of which participate in Medicare and/or Medicaid.

Nursing home closure information

Information has been developed to assist residents, families and other persons involved in the relocation of individuals when a nursing home permanently closes.  This can be found at:  State Interagency Nursing Home Closure Team Information