Nebraska Nursing Homes: Violations, Fines and Worst Records

Most of Nebraska's 180 nursing homes are run by non-profit or government operators: 75 are non-profit homes, 34 are government homes, and 71 are for-profit facilities. CMS, the federal Medicare agency, publishes the Medicare nursing home data files. They show that 48.7% of Nebraska nursing staff left within a year, a rate that ranks 15th highest in the nation and sits above the 45.8% national average. Total nurse staffing in the state averaged 3.98 hours per resident each day. That is above the 3.86 hours recorded nationally, and among the 173 homes that reported, 55 did not reach the staffing level expected of them.

Across the last three inspection cycles, Nebraska homes received 3,398 citations from inspectors, 129 of them involving actual harm to residents or immediate danger, a per-facility rate that ranks 45th in the country. Across every inspection, infection prevention and control drew more citations than any other rule, with 368. Accident hazards and supervision led to 41 citations at the harm level, the state's highest harm count. The largest single penalty, $289,450, went to Emerald Nursing & Rehabilitation Mercy in Omaha; since September 2023, CMS has fined 44 homes in the state a total of $2,155,569.

Each month the state licensing office releases a Long Term Care Facilities roster containing basic directory information, and because Nebraska offers no state lookup of complaint findings or inspection reports, full inspection results are found in the federal reports. Each Nebraska home's page on Medicare Care Compare (formerly Nursing Home Compare) links to that home's federal inspection reports. Each report uses Form CMS-2567, the official statement of deficiencies. In it, Nebraska inspectors record the evidence they found and list every rule the facility broke.

Across the last three inspection cycles, complaint visits generated 31.5% of all citations issued statewide. To file a facility complaint, families can use the health care facilities complaint page of the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, Licensure Unit, or dial 402-471-0316. A free resident advocate is available from the Nebraska Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program at (800) 942-7830 for help with a care problem. Reports of suspected abuse or neglect can go to Nebraska Adult Protective Services at (800) 652-1999.