Whatever the cause of the abuse, physicians may encounter abused patients in nursing homes — when serving either as primary care physicians in the facility or as consultants when patients are transferred to emergency departments or hospitals. Every state has a reporting mechanism whereby the suspicion of abuse in nursing homes (or in other types of long-term care facilities) can be reported and investigated, and physicians should report their concerns accordingly. The National Center on Elder Abuse maintains a website with contact numbers and a directory of ombudsman offices in each state for this purpose at http://ncea.acl.gov/Stop_Abuse/Get_Help/State/index.aspx.