A new report from a federal watchdog agency has drawn attention to a disturbing discovery: Thousands of serious cases of potential neglect and abuse of seniors on Medicare are not being reported by nursing facilities, despite a federal requirement to do so.

The report, conducted by auditors of the Health and Human Services’ office of inspector general, focused on episodes that were serious enough to require Medicare patients to be taken directly from a nursing facility to a hospital emergency room.

In 2016, about 6,600 cases involving some 6,200 patients had potential instances of abuse or neglect that was not reported, the auditors found in Medicare billing records.

Those who have dealt with agencies of any sort have at some point likely witnessed a lack of communication between entities. It can be frustrating — but in the case of the Health and Human Services inspector general’s office’s report, it’s especially egregious.

“Mandatory reporting is not always happening, and beneficiaries deserve to be better protected,” said Gloria Jarmon, head of the inspector general’s audit division.

Of the approximately 37,600 cases in which a Medicare beneficiary was taken to the emergency room in instances that raised red flags, a total of 18 percent went unreported.

Pennsylvania has been widely criticized for lackluster response to elder abuse cases. Earlier this year, the Office of State Inspector General released its findings in a study regarding elder abuse, identifying failures by some county-level agencies to investigate complaints of abuse in the manner that state law requires. That study also found some counties have been forced to hire more caseworkers to keep up with a rise in the number of complaints.

Between 2017 and 2018, the Reading Eagle reported that elder abuse reports were up across the state, but neglect cases were rarely prosecuted. The paper wrote that Pennsylvania had the fewest number of convictions in neglect cases among the 10 states with the largest nursing home populations.

One of the challenges of combating abuse or neglect, reports show, is that many seniors are afraid to report instances to friends, relatives or nursing home staff. And it’s no wonder, considering the inaction noted by watchdog groups.

In response to the Health and Human Services inspector general’s report, the national Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services noted that it is working to improve supervision in nursing homes, especially focusing on the prevention of abuse or neglect of dementia patients.

The center also plans to provide clearer guidance for nursing facilities about the type of episodes that must be reported, improve training for staff and require that nursing home inspectors report all possible instances of abuse to law enforcement.

This is a good start.

We often hear platitudes about protecting the vulnerable. Until action is taken, that’s all they are — platitudes. It’s unimaginable that any facility tasked with taking care of seniors wouldn’t make keeping them safe from abuse or neglect a priority.

— NCD