Ohio nursing home safety remains a big concern to many of us, especially those of us with elderly parents or other loved ones who are in long-term care facilities. The U.S. Congress is also concerned with nursing home safety, and in 2019 began releasing a Special Focus Facilities (SFF) report listing underperforming nursing homes which have consistently failed to provide care as set forth in standards or regulations.

The Special Focus Facilities Program

Facilities on the SFF report have a significant number of citations or incidents of non-compliance with required regulations during inspections. The SFF program aims to encourage better performance through penalties and other measures.

5 Key Points of the SFF Program

• Designation. Nursing homes designated as SFF are considered poor performers.
• Oversight. Facilities placed in the SFF program undergo more frequent inspections (at least one every six months) and face escalating fines and penalties.
• Risk of closure. Non-compliance may lead to facility closure.
• Reimbursement impact. Nursing homes in the program risk losing Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement.
• Focus on improvement. The program’s purpose is to draw attention to the facility to motivate necessary changes and enhance patient care.

SFF participants represent less than .6% out of over 15,700 nursing homes nationwide. As of February 2024, there are 88 facilities participating in the program, which is the maximum allowable per budget constraints. The specific participants in the program change periodically.

Ohio Nursing Home SFF Candidates

In addition to those facilities in the SFF program, an additional 2.8% of all facilities (about 440 nursing homes), have also been identified as “SFF Candidates” because of a “persistent record of poor care.” Some SFF Candidates currently may meet the criteria of the SFF program; however, apparently due to limited funding, such facilities have not been placed into the SFF program.

The List of Ohio SFF and SFF Candidate Nursing Homes (as of February 28, 2024)

The list of Ohio nursing home facilities listed in the SFF program, and those that are SFF Candidates, are as follows:

SFF Candidates

In SFF Program

For more information, visit Medicare Nursing Home Compare to review inspection results by nursing home.

SFF program updates are critical to keep the public informed of these poorly-performing facilities. We look forward to continued improvements in all nursing home facilities in order to better protect the care, welfare, and dignity of residents.

If a family member has been neglected in one of these listed facilities, or if you feel the care they received in another facility was negligent, please call me for your free consultation.