Philadelphia-area nursing homes have amassed $5.3 million in fines since 2023 for safety violations
In the wake of the Bucks County nursing home explosion, which had been fined for safety violations, other nursing homes in the region are facing scrutiny.
Safety violations at Philadelphia-area nursing homes have led to nearly $5.3 million in fines since 2023, an Inquirer review of federal data shows, with almost half of the region’s 182 facilities facing financial penalties.
The Bristol Township nursing home, where an explosion last month killed three people, topped a list of nursing homes fined in Philadelphia, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Bucks County, according to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) data.
The facility was fined a total of $418,000 for two sets of violations in 2024 when it was known as Silver Lake Healthcare Center. The nursing home was renamed Bristol Health & Rehab Center last month, following an ownership change shortly before the explosion.
Six-figure penalties are not uncommon in the region. More than 22% of the 85 facilities fined had penalties greater than $100,000. The violations cited concerns ranging from noncompliant fire extinguishers to life-threatening hazards such as allowing a resident to overdose on illegal narcotics.
Accela Rehab And Care Center at Springfield in Montgomery County had the most citations for health deficiencies in the Philly-area — 122 total.
Edenbrook Of Yeadon in Delaware County had the most fire safety violations with 60.
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Pennsylvania regulators inspect nursing homes annually to ensure compliance with state requirements and once every 15 months for compliance with federal regulations, said Neil Ruhland, a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
The amount of a fine depends on the severity of a violation, with bigger fines when people are harmed; the number of residents impacted by the violation; and how long the facility was out of compliance.
Nursing homes cited for deficiencies are required to develop a plan of correction, which is reviewed and monitored by the state. If the facility continues to be out of compliance, they may face penalties, including fines and ultimately could be terminated from Medicare and Medicaid, though that’s rare.
Here’s a look at federal fines and citations at nursing homes across Southeastern Pennsylvania since 2023, according to CMS.