Study Critical of Beverly Nursing Homes

A union-backed study of Beverly Enterprises, the nation’s largest nursing home operator with 78 homes in California, reports that the firm is providing substandard patient care in its homes.

The study, undertaken by the AFL-CIO’s Food and Allied Service Trades, focused on Beverly Enterprises nursing homes in Missouri, where the company is under a state order to improve patient care. But the researchers said the problems found there were applicable to California, because the problems relate to companywide policy on patient care.

Using the firm’s own quality assurance review documents and state inspection records, the report said the nursing home operator’s internal patient care program in Missouri was unable to prevent chronic patient care problems related to bedsores, incontinence and the use of drugs and other restraints.

The Service Employees International Union released the report locally. The union, which said it hopes to force Beverly to increase staffing levels at its nursing homes, has been engaged in a national organizing and bargaining campaign against the nursing home operator for more than 10 years.

In response, David Banks, chairman and chief executive officer of Beverly Enterprises, said in a statement that his firm had the nation’s “leading quality assurance program” for nursing homes.

He cited figures from the U.S. Health Care Financing Administration showing that Beverly had higher rates of compliance with federal requirements than industry averages for the last five years. He also pointed to a survey of 20,000 Beverly customers showing a high rate of satisfaction.