By Alabama Public Radio
Montgomery, AL – State health officials want to start posting inspection scores like those at restaurants at assisted-living homes. Rick Harris is the director of the Bureau of Health Provider Standards. He says the inspection postings would help clarify a disparity in quality of the homes. The national assisted-living industry nationwide has recently come under fire with allegations that government oversight is inadequate. Harris says he's discussing the plans with industry officials, and he hopes to have the process in place within weeks. Under the new process, the homes would get a color-coded scorecard - green, yellow or red - based upon what state surveyors' findings. Alabama's 338 assisted-living homes care for about 10-thousand people.