Introduction
North Carolina's nursing home inspection information is part of DHHS's ongoing effort to provide
information to citizens and family members faced with difficult health care decisions. A listing of nursing
homes can be obtained on the home page of this Web site.
The listings allow you to search for nursing homes in North Carolina by county.
Difference in Adult Care Homes from Nursing Homes
The primary difference between adult care homes and nursing homes is as follows:
Adult care homes provide care and assistance to people with problems carrying out activities of daily living and supervision to people with cognitive impairments whose decisions, if made independently, may jeopardize the safety or well-being of themselves or others and therefore require supervision. Medication in an adult care home may be administered by designated, trained staff. Smaller adult care homes that provide care to two to six unrelated residents are commonly called family care homes.
Nursing homes are for people who need chronic or rehabilitative care, who, on admission are not acutely ill and who do not usually require special facilities such as an operating room, X ray facilities, laboratory facilities, and obstetrical facilities. A nursing home provides care for people who have remedial ailments or other ailments, for which medical and nursing care are indicated; who, however, are not sick enough to require general hospital care. Nursing care is their primary need, but they will require continuing medical supervision.
Information on This Site
There are necessary regulatory delays between when a nursing home is inspected and when fines or findings
from the inspection will appear on this web site. Therefore, when visiting a nursing home, we encourage you
to request copies of more recent inspection results.
Inspections
The goal of inspections is to assess how well the nursing
home complies with applicable laws and regulations affecting the quality of
care provided. Inspections are typically conducted on an annual basis and when
the State receives complaints. All inspections are unannounced. Inspections
conducted on an annual basis typically last four days. Complaint inspections
may last one or more days depending upon the number of allegations and what
surveyors find during the course of the inspection.
Regarding nursing home inspections
Some nursing homes are state-licensed, but not Medicare/Medicaid certified. These licensed only homes that have had a state fine imposed will be posted on this Web site. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has the authority to impose civil money penalties in nursing homes participating in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. The fines for these facilities can be obtained through a freedom of information request at Freedom of Information
Act Request Service Center. The nursing home inspection information can be accessed at Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services at Nursing Home Compare. Information is also available on the Nursing Home Quality Initiative.
For nursing homes, months will typically pass between inspections and much could change for the better or worse in a facility between inspections. Therefore, it is advised that you inspect the facility yourself before making such an important decision.