The South Dakota Department of Health recently announced that testing reports for all health care providers in the state are now publicly available online.
“This effort is intended to ensure transparency and enable families and consumers to make informed decisions regarding the care and placement of their loved ones,” the department said in an email.
The newly released inspection reports, from July 2023 to the present, are available on the state health department's website. The reports were submitted by local clinics, long-term care facilities, hospitals and other facilities. Excluding nursing home reports that were already online, the website listed 114 license inspection reports as of earlier this month, of which 65 contained one or more instances of noncompliance.
Justin Hinker, vice president of post-acute care for the South Dakota Healthcare Association, said by the time cases of noncompliance are reported on the website, they've likely been re-inspected and are now in compliance.
The report found a range of noncompliance, including local health clinics not conducting regular inspections of fire extinguishers and storing expired vaccines, and hospice facilities not reviewing patients' medication regimens, which could lead to serious drug interactions.
Hinker said South Dakotans should treat the report as a resource.
“I always encourage people to visit,” he said, “It's just one tool that's available to people. It doesn't necessarily reflect the exact level or quality of care that people are receiving.”
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