Nursing homes in America are being purchased by private investor groups that may be more concerned with profits than care. The Times examined more than 1,200 nursing homes that have been purchased by private investment groups since 2000 and found that many of the 'new' owners quickly cut costs by downsizing staff and cutting back on supplies, resident activities and other services.

The examination found that many nursing homes in the study scored above the national average before being taken over by investors. And after the investors? Most of those same homes scored well below the national standard. Not a good trend.

The worst of the bunch

One Florida nursing home that was purchased by an investor group reported 15 deaths over a three year period that were allegedly due to neglect. When Florida regulators inspected the facility, they found broken fire doors, unsanitary kitchens and one resident using a broken leg brace because a proper one was not available. This home is just one of many where investors have cut back on necessities – sometimes to below state requirements.

Who is in charge?

Knowing who to complain to when care falls below standards (and expectations) can be half the battle – and it's a battle that patients are losing. Finding out who is in charge of a publicly held nursing home is easy because they are required to disclose who controls their facilities. Privately held nursing home owners are not required to disclose this information. This can make litigation complicated when you don't really know who to sue.

The daughter of an elderly woman who died in the Florida nursing home described above decided to sue for negligence. After three years, she and her attorney found that the company had spread control of the home among 15 separate companies and five layers of firms.

No end in sight

According to the Times report, large investment groups have purchased 6 of the 10 largest nursing home chains in the United States in the past few years. That's nearly 10 percent of all existing nursing homes with over 140,000 beds. Experts say that if these ventures remain profitable, there is no end in sight…