A report released April 29 by the HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) concludes that most U.S. nursing homes lack adequate or reliable emergency power. The finding is based on a review of 100 sampled nursing homes, including interviews with officials, records reviews, and site visits.

OIG found 72 of the 100 nursing homes noncompliant with federal requirements, identifying 119 total deficiencies — including inadequate generator maintenance, insufficient circuit coverage, and outdated generators (aged 40 years or more).

Extrapolating from these results, OIG estimates that 73% of all U.S. nursing homes have inadequate or unreliable emergency power systems. More specifically, an estimated 53% have inadequate generator maintenance, 39% have insufficient circuit coverage, and 10% have generators 40 or more years old.

OIG recommended that CMS share the audit results with nursing homes and stress the importance of maintaining adequate emergency power systems.