What a great law – it allows access for all, to public records. Now why would I write about FOIA on a blog regarding Nursing Home and Medical Malpractice? Because FOIA can be your friend. If you have a few weeks to consider which nursing home or hospital is best – Call the Department of Health for your state, and find out how to make a Freedom of Information Request – you can get all sorts of useful information: Number of beds, recent state inspections, whether they had staffing problems, who owns the nursing home, etc. They may charge you for copying costs, but it is well worth the investment. We hear families say frequently, “If I had only known more about the facility, I never would have let Aunt Bea go there!” Now, you don’t have an excuse. For more info, look up the nursing homes on http://www.medicare.gov/