The Department of Health, Division of Nursing Care Facilities is responsible for the licensing and oversight of Pennsylvania’s nursing care facilities. The Department conducts nearly 5,000 inspections a year including licensure and certification surveys, follow-up surveys and complaint investigations. The Department also operates and maintains the federally mandated Nurse Aide Registry which contains information on over 183,000 nurse aides in Pennsylvania.

A nurse aide who is not enrolled or in good standing on the registry may not be employed in a nursing care facility that receives Medicare or Medicaid reimbursement. Facilities must verify that aides they employ or are considering for employment are eligible for enrollment (or re-enrollment) as nurse aides and have no record of resident abuse, neglect or misappropriation of residents personal property.

Verification has been made easier by the use of the Nurse Aide Registry On-line which allows facilities to use the Internet to check the status of any nurse aide on the registry.