Rhode Island Nursing Homes: Violations, Fines and Worst Records

Nursing homes in Rhode Island rank second of the 50 states plus Washington, D.C. for citations per home citing harm or immediate danger to residents. The national average is 1.54 per facility. Over the past three inspection cycles, the state's 72 homes received 225 citations at that level. The figures come from CMS-published Medicare inspection records. Within that total are 109 immediate danger citations spread across 36 of the state's facilities. Each one means a failure placed residents at risk of serious injury or death. In Rhode Island, inspectors cited supervision and accident hazards 50 times when they found resident harm, more often than any other requirement.

Regulators at the federal level also rank Rhode Island fifth in the nation on fine dollars per home; since September 2023 they have imposed $4,388,281 on 53 homes. In May 2024, Greenville Skilled in Greenville received the state's largest single penalty, a fine of $233,282. Statewide, 42 of 69 reporting homes came in under the nursing-hour level federal regulators expect. They averaged 3.71 total nurse staff hours for each resident day, against 3.86 hours nationally. During that period, an average of 40.6% of nursing staff at those facilities left within a year, versus 45.8% nationwide.

The Rhode Island Department of Health posts no facility inspection reports online. Families must instead read federal records to learn about inspectors' findings inside a nearby home. The federal search tool now called Medicare's Care Compare, formerly Nursing Home Compare, lists every one of the state's 72 nursing homes. Each home's Form CMS-2567 deficiency statement, meaning its inspection reports, opens from that entry. In Rhode Island, 37.3% of citations statewide came from complaint visits instead of routine inspections.

To request an inspection, relatives can call 401-222-5200 or submit a health department complaint to the Rhode Island Department of Health. To get daily support caring for a resident, families can dial 401-785-3340 and reach the Office of the RI State Long Term Care Ombudsman. The program is hosted by the Alliance for Better Long-Term Care, a nonprofit. Anyone who suspects that an older adult in Rhode Island faces abuse or neglect can also dial 401-462-0555. Reporting online works too, through the state's elder abuse reporting page.