Washington Nursing Homes: Violations, Fines and Worst Records

Nationally, Washington places seventh for nursing hours per resident and also for federal fines per home. Washington has 193 nursing homes, where staff average 4.36 hours of total nurse time and 0.94 hours from registered nurses per resident each day. The national comparison is 3.86 for total nurse time and 0.69 for registered nurses. CMS, the federal Medicare agency, provides these numbers in its nursing home data files, where expected nurse staffing levels were not met by 73 of 189 reporting Washington homes. Of the state's facilities, for-profit companies operate 153, and 140 belong to a chain, with The Ensign Group the largest at 17 sites.

Over the past three inspection cycles, complaint visits made up 25.5% of the 9,558 citations issued by Washington inspectors. Statewide, 381 citations were issued for accident hazards and supervision. In 110 of those, the findings noted resident harm or immediate danger, a harm count higher than any other rule in the state. Since September 2023, the largest single fine in the state went to Everett Center in Everett, a $229,876 penalty from federal officials. Crystal Cove Post Acute, a Washington facility, is the state's only entry in the federal Special Focus program, which covers facilities facing persistent compliance problems. Five more homes in the state are candidates.

State inspection findings are available to families through the DSHS Nursing Home Locator. Each Washington facility's Nursing Home Reports page lists fire inspections, enforcement letters, complaint investigation reports, and survey reports. For federal records, use Medicare's Care Compare, a search tool previously known as Nursing Home Compare. It connects every Washington home's page with its Form CMS-2567, the official statement of deficiencies where inspectors record what they found.

Report concerns about care at a facility to the Washington Department of Social and Health Services, Complaint Resolution Unit. Call 1-800-562-6078 or use the state's online incident reporting page. Washington Adult Protective Services also takes reports when someone suspects a vulnerable adult is being abused or neglected in the state; the number is 1-877-734-6277. When problems come up inside a home, families can get help from a resident advocate with the Washington State Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program by calling 1-800-562-6028. The Multi-Service Center runs it under a Washington State Department of Commerce contract.