
The OIG recently released a report on Serious Falls Resulting in Hospitalization Among Medicare-Enrolled Nursing Home Residents. The report found that nursing homes failed to report nearly half of serious falls among Medicare-enrolled residents, leading to inaccurate fall rates on CMS’s Care Compare website. From July 2022 to June 2023, there were 42,864 major injury falls requiring hospitalization among nursing home residents, with 1,911 residents dying during their hospital stays. These hospitalizations cost Medicare and enrollees over $800 million. Most residents had known fall risk factors, and higher fall rates were linked to female, older, and short-stay residents, as well as facilities with lower staffing and lower quality ratings. The report concludes that stronger fall prevention and quality improvement efforts are needed to reduce harm and costs.