But does that mean statewide care is bad? Not necessarily, and Wyoming's violations aren't much different from Colorado's or the nation's.

By Michelle Dynes
mdynes@wyomingnews.com

CHEYENNE -- Federal inspectors cited every single Wyoming nursing home for health and safety violations between 2005 and 2007.

There also were an average of 7.9 to 15.1 deficiency citations per nursing home during this time period, according to the federal report "Trends in Nursing Home Deficiencies and Complaints."

But the totals do not necessarily reflect the statewide quality of care, said Mike Fierberg, spokesman for the Denver regional office of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

There are 190 possible deficiencies that fall into 17 categories, covering everything from administration to radiology services.

He said Wyoming's totals are not surpris-

See Nursing homes, page A2

ing. More than 95 percent of Colorado's nursing homes earned citations during the same three-year period. Nationwide, 91 percent of surveyed nursing homes were cited for deficiencies.

Deficiency totals also do not reflect the severity of the problem or how many patients are affected.

"(Does the problem impact) just a few?" Fierberg said. "Some? Almost everyone in the place? Nearly all deficiencies affect few (people). Are they cited? Yes. Does it affect everyone? No."

Consumers can look up citation information and the steps taken to correct the problem on the Medicare Web site. He added that a nursing home's response to a deficiency is a better indication of the level of care.

"It's very unusual to go through a major inspection and have zero deficiencies," Fierberg said.

The goal of the annual surveys is to improve care by pointing out things health-care providers may have missed and advising on best practices, said Derek Schmidt, executive director of Life Care Center of Cheyenne. He added that some of the deficiencies may not impact the patients at all.

A dirty oven was one of the problems cited during a survey completed three weeks ago. A nursing assistant also was cited for using sanitary wipes instead of washing their hands in a sink.

Schmidt said another reason Wyoming's deficiency total could seem high is because state surveyors don't have the same caseload as other surveyors. Wyoming has 39 nursing homes. Meanwhile Florida's Pinellas County, has 103 nursing homes, he said.