If you have family in a nursing home or are considering one, there’s one stat you must know: hours per resident day (hprd). It’s a critical health care statistic that calculates the average amount of hours the staff (including all RNs, LPNs/LVNs, and CNAs/NAs) can spend with each resident each day, on average.
The hprd number is determined by dividing the total number of nursing staff hours worked by the total number of residents. It has been established by healthcare studies that the minimum hprd should be 4. Anything less than 4, and there simply are not enough hours in the day for the nursing home staff to give each resident the attention they need and deserve.
Nursing homes are private businesses where profit is a top priority if not the only priority. The staff is a major expenditure, and as a result, nursing homes keep their staff numbers low on purpose, to increase profits, despite the known risks. The result is nursing home abuse and neglect, which means pain, suffering, misery, injury, and death for the residents.
The Consumer Voice, an organization that advocates for better long-term care, released a report on how the nation’s nursing homes are performing in terms of meeting their staffing needs. Only in Washington D.C. does the average nursing home meet the standard of 4 hours per resident day. Eighteen states do not even collect the basic staffing figures needed to arrive at a score.
See how your state measures against the industry standard of 4 hprd.
At Brown & Barron, we put a special focus on nursing home law, and we treat you like family. Our lawyers understand the complex set of rules that nursing homes must follow to ensure the well being of their residents. The sad truth is that nursing homes often break these rules, resulting in preventable injuries and deaths. We have the experience and methods to uncover the truth.
When Brown & Barron gets involved, you get the answers and the justice your family deserves.
Call us today at (410) 698-1717 to schedule a free consultation with our experienced nursing home abuse attorneys.
