Maine Nursing Homes: Violations, Fines and Worst Records

Among the 50 states and the District of Columbia, Maine places 51st in federal fines per nursing home. It places 10th in daily nurse staffing hours per resident. On average, residents at the state's 78 licensed facilities receive 4.34 hours of nursing care daily, compared with a national average of 3.86. These figures all come from CMS, the federal Medicare agency, through its public nursing home provider records. Breaking federal rules brought Maine homes 2,393 citations from state inspectors during the three most recent inspection cycles. Of those, 158 involved kitchen and food storage safety. Of those citations, 41 involved harm to a resident or immediate danger. That leaves Maine with an average far below the national figure of 1.54 serious citations per home.

Since September 2023, 27 Maine nursing homes have received $576,125 in combined fines from federal regulators. An $83,038 fine against Waterville Center for Health and Rehab in Waterville, issued in September 2024, stands as the state's largest single penalty. The federal government's Special Focus Facility program for homes with ongoing inspection problems includes just one in Maine, Windward Gardens. Five more homes in Maine are candidates for that list.

Maine DHHS Division of Licensing and Certification Licensed Provider Search gives families direct access to state inspection results. That state database lets users search all Maine's 78 licensed nursing homes and pull up each one's survey list. The list includes the Statement of Deficiencies plus the home's Plan of Correction for complaint, licensure, and recertification inspections. Medicare's Care Compare website, formerly Nursing Home Compare, hosts a profile for each Maine home. The home's federal inspection reports, which go by the name Form CMS-2567 statement of deficiencies, open there too.

If you see unsafe care at a Maine facility, you can file a complaint with the state licensing office at the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Licensing and Certification. The agency also takes calls at 1-800-383-2441. In Maine, complaint visits produced 24.1% of all inspection citations across the last three cycles. Families who need help protecting a resident can reach the Maine Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program at (800) 499-0229. It is an independent non-profit agency based in Augusta. You can also call Adult Protective Services at 1-800-624-8404 to report suspected abuse or neglect at a Maine home.