The Tennessee Department of Health has suspended new admissions to the Rivermont Care and Rehabilitation Center in Marion County until it gets its act together! The facility must also must pay a $1,500 state fine and a federal penalty of $4,200 a day until violations are corrected.
New admissions may be suspended any time conditions are determined to be, or are likely to be, detrimental to the health, safety or welfare of residents.
Hit them where it hurts…in their pocketbook! Read the news report here.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Friday, September 28, 2007
REPORT: FEWER SENIORS LIVING IN NURSING HOMES
This is encouraging news! An article in USA Today reports the percentage of elderly living in nursing homes has declined. The downturn reflects the improved health of seniors and more choices of care for the elderly.
Approximately 7.4% of Americans aged 75 and older lived in nursing homes in 2006, compared with 8.1% in 2000 and 10.2% in 1990. The upper-income white population has other options than nursing homes," says William Frey, demographer at the Brookings Institution. "They're moving to assisted living or their well-off, baby boomer children are taking care of them in other ways."
At-home care and assisted-living facilities have been a fast-growing segment of elder care in the past decade, says Elise Bolda, director of Community Partnerships for Older Adults, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation program that helps communities develop long-term care and services for the elderly.
Unfortunately, those without sufficient finances or nearby and willing families have no other option but to enter a nursing home and hope for the best…and often experience the worst!
Read the full USA Today article.
Approximately 7.4% of Americans aged 75 and older lived in nursing homes in 2006, compared with 8.1% in 2000 and 10.2% in 1990. The upper-income white population has other options than nursing homes," says William Frey, demographer at the Brookings Institution. "They're moving to assisted living or their well-off, baby boomer children are taking care of them in other ways."
At-home care and assisted-living facilities have been a fast-growing segment of elder care in the past decade, says Elise Bolda, director of Community Partnerships for Older Adults, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation program that helps communities develop long-term care and services for the elderly.
Unfortunately, those without sufficient finances or nearby and willing families have no other option but to enter a nursing home and hope for the best…and often experience the worst!
Read the full USA Today article.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
INFECTION CONTROL IN HOSPITALS
Great article in Washington Post today - Read it here.
"Each year, an estimated 1.7 million hospital patients develop infections, each of which adds thousands of dollars to the cost of treatment. And some patients pay the highest price: Hospital infections kill approximately 99,000 Americans a year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is the source of these estimates; actual numbers are unknown because hospitals in most states are not required to tally and report infections..."
"The three infection-control measures are: how often preventive antibiotics are given in the hour before surgery, how often the right antibiotic is chosen and how often the drug therapy is halted within 24 hours.
"Certain hospitals are more diligent than others in making sure these practices are being followed," says Lisa McGiffert, manager for Consumers Union's "Stop Hospital Infections" campaign."
Read more - click on the Link.
"Each year, an estimated 1.7 million hospital patients develop infections, each of which adds thousands of dollars to the cost of treatment. And some patients pay the highest price: Hospital infections kill approximately 99,000 Americans a year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is the source of these estimates; actual numbers are unknown because hospitals in most states are not required to tally and report infections..."
"The three infection-control measures are: how often preventive antibiotics are given in the hour before surgery, how often the right antibiotic is chosen and how often the drug therapy is halted within 24 hours.
"Certain hospitals are more diligent than others in making sure these practices are being followed," says Lisa McGiffert, manager for Consumers Union's "Stop Hospital Infections" campaign."
Read more - click on the Link.
SEXUAL RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN PATIENT AND PHYSICIAN
Got your attention didn’t I? Sexual relationships between a medical professional and his/her patient is a “no – no.” Patients can be extremely vulnerable to becoming entrapped into a sexual relationship with their physician. The patient sees the physician as a caring individual with superior knowledge and someone who can help resolve their physical, emotion, or psychological problems. What follows is an example of this problem right here in Virginia.
Michael Hryvniak, a doctor from Fairfax, performed a psychiatric evaluation of a patient in April ‘05 who had “multi-faceted and complex psychiatric issues,” according to a consent order filed in August ‘07. In July, Hryvniak began psychotherapy treatment on the patient and subsequently began a personal and sexual relationship with his patient for about two months that same year (May to July.)
Hryvniak ended the relationship and took a voluntary leave of absence in August ‘06 as a result of the relationship. Hryvniak checked himself in to a treatment center in Kansas and underwent some major individual psychotherapy and medication management. It is not clear in the order what exactly was wrong with Hryvniak. The Virginia Board of Medicine has put this guy on indefinite probation.
Michael Hryvniak, a doctor from Fairfax, performed a psychiatric evaluation of a patient in April ‘05 who had “multi-faceted and complex psychiatric issues,” according to a consent order filed in August ‘07. In July, Hryvniak began psychotherapy treatment on the patient and subsequently began a personal and sexual relationship with his patient for about two months that same year (May to July.)
Hryvniak ended the relationship and took a voluntary leave of absence in August ‘06 as a result of the relationship. Hryvniak checked himself in to a treatment center in Kansas and underwent some major individual psychotherapy and medication management. It is not clear in the order what exactly was wrong with Hryvniak. The Virginia Board of Medicine has put this guy on indefinite probation.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
VIRGINIA NURSING HOME CHAIN SETTLES SUITS OVER 23 DEATHS
The families of 23 nursing home patients who died in a bus explosion as they fled Hurricane Rita have settled their lawsuits against the nursing home that evacuated them. Lawyers for the families and for Sunrise Senior Living Services Inc., of McLean, Va., said terms of the settlement were confidential.
Brighton Gardens, a Houston area assisted living facility owned by Sunrise Living Services bussed residents north as Hurricane Rita approached the Texas coast two years ago. A rear wheel of the bus caught fire in the early morning of Sept. 23, 2005, on a freeway near Dallas. The vehicle was engulfed in flames and smoke. Those who died in the fire were too frail to escape the bus on their own.
A federal investigation found the bus fire started when poorly lubricated wheel bearings overheated in the right rear well, igniting a tire. The fire spread to oxygen canisters in the bus's cabin, causing them to explode.
Read the Associated Press report here.
Brighton Gardens, a Houston area assisted living facility owned by Sunrise Living Services bussed residents north as Hurricane Rita approached the Texas coast two years ago. A rear wheel of the bus caught fire in the early morning of Sept. 23, 2005, on a freeway near Dallas. The vehicle was engulfed in flames and smoke. Those who died in the fire were too frail to escape the bus on their own.
A federal investigation found the bus fire started when poorly lubricated wheel bearings overheated in the right rear well, igniting a tire. The fire spread to oxygen canisters in the bus's cabin, causing them to explode.
Read the Associated Press report here.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
CASE REPORT: RESIDENT LEAVES FACILITY AND DIES FROM EXPOSURE
This case comes to us from Illinois and involves an “elopement.” An elopement is simply the act of a nursing home resident leaving the facility without the permission and knowledge of the nursing home staff.
In Taylor v. Manorcare Health Services a 75 year old resident suffered from dementia and had a propensity to wander. He was fitted with an electronic monitoring device which allowed the nursing staff to be aware of his location at all times. Unfortunately, one evening the resident, without shoes or outerwear, left the facility without the knowledge of the staff. He was found a few blocks away, lying on the ground, suffering from hypothermia.
The resident’s family sued Manorcare alleging the facility was negligent by failing to ensure the resident’s electronic bracelet was working, failed to properly supervise the resident, and failed timely note that the resident had left the facility and promptly notify the police. The case was settled before trial for $825,000.
In Taylor v. Manorcare Health Services a 75 year old resident suffered from dementia and had a propensity to wander. He was fitted with an electronic monitoring device which allowed the nursing staff to be aware of his location at all times. Unfortunately, one evening the resident, without shoes or outerwear, left the facility without the knowledge of the staff. He was found a few blocks away, lying on the ground, suffering from hypothermia.
The resident’s family sued Manorcare alleging the facility was negligent by failing to ensure the resident’s electronic bracelet was working, failed to properly supervise the resident, and failed timely note that the resident had left the facility and promptly notify the police. The case was settled before trial for $825,000.
Monday, September 24, 2007
RESPONSE TO NYTIMES ARTICLE
Read the full response, here.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following is astatement from Alan Rosenbloom, President of the Alliance for QualityNursing Home Care, in reaction to the Sunday, Sept 23, New York Times storyentitled, "At Many Homes, More Profit and Less Nursing:" "The nursing home data analyzed by the New York Times, and noted in thereporting itself, examines a very narrow segment of the nation's long termcare ownership category, and is far from representative of the total longterm care quality picture in America's nursing homes - which is improvingoverall. As the article itself notes, the Times analysis concerns less than10% of all nursing homes in America, and many of the problems notedinvolved only 5% of all homes. The news article does, however, raise important issues about the needto sustain for the long term the many successful government andprofession-wide quality improvement initiatives now underway -- and ourprofession will continue to advocate the vital need to assess patientoutcome data and patient and family satisfaction surveys, which are highlyrelevant to the overall quality equation. Further, we concur with theGovernment Accountability Office (GAO), the Department of Health and HumanServices (HHS) and other independent sources finding that while there havebeen specific, measurable quality improvements in several importantclinical areas, there is still far more to do. The very data analyzed by the New York Times is representative of thelong term care profession's demonstrated commitment to public datadisclosure, and making more information available for consumers to considerand evaluate as a means of assessing facility quality. This is correctlybringing about more accountability, and spurring increased competitionamong facilities. This is beneficial to every consumer, the regulatoryauthorities, federal and state lawmakers, and providers themselves. Ourprofession has demonstrated the leadership expected and required, and willcontinue to do so.
Please see my highlighted sections ---- are public disclsoures optional? NO. but I agree - far more to do!
WASHINGTON, Sept. 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following is astatement from Alan Rosenbloom, President of the Alliance for QualityNursing Home Care, in reaction to the Sunday, Sept 23, New York Times storyentitled, "At Many Homes, More Profit and Less Nursing:" "The nursing home data analyzed by the New York Times, and noted in thereporting itself, examines a very narrow segment of the nation's long termcare ownership category, and is far from representative of the total longterm care quality picture in America's nursing homes - which is improvingoverall. As the article itself notes, the Times analysis concerns less than10% of all nursing homes in America, and many of the problems notedinvolved only 5% of all homes. The news article does, however, raise important issues about the needto sustain for the long term the many successful government andprofession-wide quality improvement initiatives now underway -- and ourprofession will continue to advocate the vital need to assess patientoutcome data and patient and family satisfaction surveys, which are highlyrelevant to the overall quality equation. Further, we concur with theGovernment Accountability Office (GAO), the Department of Health and HumanServices (HHS) and other independent sources finding that while there havebeen specific, measurable quality improvements in several importantclinical areas, there is still far more to do. The very data analyzed by the New York Times is representative of thelong term care profession's demonstrated commitment to public datadisclosure, and making more information available for consumers to considerand evaluate as a means of assessing facility quality. This is correctlybringing about more accountability, and spurring increased competitionamong facilities. This is beneficial to every consumer, the regulatoryauthorities, federal and state lawmakers, and providers themselves. Ourprofession has demonstrated the leadership expected and required, and willcontinue to do so.
Please see my highlighted sections ---- are public disclsoures optional? NO. but I agree - far more to do!
LASIK SURGERY AND PROBLEMS WITH NIGHT VISION
Every time I turn around another friend has decided to have LASIK (laser in situ keratomileusis) surgery to help their vision. LASIK surgery could probably help my vision but the damn procedure just scares me! I would never have both eyes operated on at the same time. Further, it concerns me that we don’t know what may happen to those eye balls 10 or 20 years after surgery!
Now I can add a new concern – problems with night vision after LASIK surgery called the “halo phenomena” don’t seem to be effected. Even with successful LASIK surgery patients may keep experiencing disturbances in night vision, according to a report in the British Journal of Ophthalmology for August.
The results stem from a study of 110 eyes that were successfully treated with LASIK for myopia and astigmatism. A device called the Starlights system was used to measure changes in the halo phenomena, that is, the visualization of halos around light sources under night vision conditions.
Read the report here.
Now I can add a new concern – problems with night vision after LASIK surgery called the “halo phenomena” don’t seem to be effected. Even with successful LASIK surgery patients may keep experiencing disturbances in night vision, according to a report in the British Journal of Ophthalmology for August.
The results stem from a study of 110 eyes that were successfully treated with LASIK for myopia and astigmatism. A device called the Starlights system was used to measure changes in the halo phenomena, that is, the visualization of halos around light sources under night vision conditions.
Read the report here.
THE ALMIGHTLY DOLLAR
Big news this weekend - recent study finds nursing homes owned by investor groups, provide lower quality care that those not owned by investor groups. I am not at all surprised. We have long discussed the competing interest of stockholders, and patients. Patients require the best care possibility, and morally speaking, price should not be an issue. Stockholders require dividends, and profit - which requires cutting costs, and staff to increase overall profit. This is especially difficult when most residents of long term care facilities have medicare or medicaid paying for their stay - which means the corporation has little to no control over prices, and income - only the costs. Sad when the almightly dollar is given priority over life, and care and dignity.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
ELDER ABUSE SUIT FILED AGAINST LEWISBURG WEST VIRGINIA NURSING HOME
A lawsuit filed against Greenbrier Manor, a Greenbrier County, West Virginia nursing home, claims the facility’s “abusive” care caused malnutrition and dehydration of an elderly, incapacitated patient who also suffered numerous falls. The resident, Eloise Gates, 84 years old, lost 20 pounds or 12 % of her body weight in less than three months at the nursing home. She also suffered 7 documented falls, the last of which caused a serious eye injury and possibly a brain injury as well.
Read the news report here.
Read the news report here.
TENNESSEE NURSING HOME OWNER CONVICTED
A few days ago we wrote a short article on a Johnson City, Tennessee nursing home owner who was being tried for Medicaid fraud. Billie Anderson, the owner/operator of Anderson Health Care in Gray, TN was charged with operating the facility without a Medical Director. Medical Directors are doctors and operate as the chief medical provider to residents of the facility.
We are happy to report that the jury took but two hours to find Anderson guilty of fraud. Bravo! Read the news report here.
We are happy to report that the jury took but two hours to find Anderson guilty of fraud. Bravo! Read the news report here.
Friday, September 21, 2007
A POST FOR NURSES
Nurses, are the cornerstone of American healthcare. And this is not only my opinion, but look at any long term care facility, hospital or doctor's office and you will have to agree. Most of the healthcare provided today, is by nurses. So why aren't they paid more? Why aren't more hired to help at nursing homes or hospitals? Why do CEO's make over a million dollars, when the average CNA or LPN takes less than $50,000 home a year?
I will stand on my soap box about this issue, but sadly, it will not do much. Our community (and I mean local, and worldwide) requires better healthcare, and this can be attained by demanding the following:
1. MORE NURSES;
2. BETTER NURSE SALARIES;
3. MORE TRAINING;
I know in nursing homes, it is a daily struggle for a nurse to care for and chart the care of 40 residents.... mistakes are made, documents left incomplete and patients don't receive the care they need (sometimes)... so why not hire more people, and pay them enough to encourage them to stay. Seems simple to me, but the corporations won't listen to me. They would listen to the nurses though - so to my nurse friends, anyway to petition corporate for more staff? Raises? Better pay? Your insight would be valued.
I will stand on my soap box about this issue, but sadly, it will not do much. Our community (and I mean local, and worldwide) requires better healthcare, and this can be attained by demanding the following:
1. MORE NURSES;
2. BETTER NURSE SALARIES;
3. MORE TRAINING;
I know in nursing homes, it is a daily struggle for a nurse to care for and chart the care of 40 residents.... mistakes are made, documents left incomplete and patients don't receive the care they need (sometimes)... so why not hire more people, and pay them enough to encourage them to stay. Seems simple to me, but the corporations won't listen to me. They would listen to the nurses though - so to my nurse friends, anyway to petition corporate for more staff? Raises? Better pay? Your insight would be valued.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
TENNESSE NURSING HOME OWNER ON TRIAL FOR FRAUD
We hear all the time in our nursing home abuse cases that the facility just doesn’t make enough money to hire a sufficient number of nurses to properly care for the residents. The owners argue that most of their residents are Medicaid beneficiaries and Medicaid just doesn’t pay enough to really provide good care. This is a bunch of Baloney…if not something even worse!
Now we read a story that a Tennessee nursing home owner has even been cheating Medicaid! Earlier this year, a federal grand jury indicted Billie Anderson, the former owner of Anderson Healthcare in Gray, TN. She was indicted after an investigation concluded she collected payments for seven months in 2002 and 2003 without a licensed physician to serve as the medical director of the facility. That's a violation of state and federal regulations.
Anderson’s criminal trial is currently underway. The jury heard from a lot of witnesses including state auditor, Richard Rogers, who testified that Anderson received $1.3 million in state and federal money from April 2002 through December 2002. Further, the investigation revealed Anderson received an additional $100,000 in January 2003 for a total of $1.4 million. The nursing home is currently owned by Life Care Centers of America.
How many RNs and CNAs can be hired for $1.4 million? My bet is a lot!
Read the story here.
Now we read a story that a Tennessee nursing home owner has even been cheating Medicaid! Earlier this year, a federal grand jury indicted Billie Anderson, the former owner of Anderson Healthcare in Gray, TN. She was indicted after an investigation concluded she collected payments for seven months in 2002 and 2003 without a licensed physician to serve as the medical director of the facility. That's a violation of state and federal regulations.
Anderson’s criminal trial is currently underway. The jury heard from a lot of witnesses including state auditor, Richard Rogers, who testified that Anderson received $1.3 million in state and federal money from April 2002 through December 2002. Further, the investigation revealed Anderson received an additional $100,000 in January 2003 for a total of $1.4 million. The nursing home is currently owned by Life Care Centers of America.
How many RNs and CNAs can be hired for $1.4 million? My bet is a lot!
Read the story here.
CASE REPORT: RAPE CHARGES IN WEST VIRGINIA NURSING HOME
We place our loved ones in a nursing home in order that they may be safe and receive needed medical care. Well, how about this report from West Virginia? Police said a mentally handicapped woman was sexually assaulted inside a Moundsville nursing home.
Moundsville police say Roy Reed Sheldon (22) sexually assaulted a 57-year-old mentally handicapped woman who was a resident of Dora Allietta Memorial Home in Moundsville, WV. Read the story here.
If the allegations are proven and Sheldon is convicted, I hope he spends the rest of his life in prison!
Moundsville police say Roy Reed Sheldon (22) sexually assaulted a 57-year-old mentally handicapped woman who was a resident of Dora Allietta Memorial Home in Moundsville, WV. Read the story here.
If the allegations are proven and Sheldon is convicted, I hope he spends the rest of his life in prison!
ELOPEMEMT
I spent a few hours yesterday researching "elopement" cases in long term care facilities.... Yes, I mean accidents that occur when a resident leaves the facility, unattended. Many long term care residents are in good physical shape, such that they can walk and ambulate without assistance. If your loved one is a known wanderer (meaning, they will walk and walk) - tell the facility... Ask if there are door alarms. Ask if doors are locked. Ask if unlocked doors are monitored - and if cameras are used. Do residents have to sign out and in? What is there policy on notifying the police about missing residents.
In two hours, I found so many sad and horrible cases where loved ones eloped from the facility, only to be found hours to months later, injured, frozen, in pain, and many times, deceased. If they are not harmed by the weather, hurt by a car - sometimes simply being without food, water and medicine for extended time was enough to cause irreperable harm.
So please - if your loved one WANDERS, make sure the facility knows, and investigate how they will address the issue.
In two hours, I found so many sad and horrible cases where loved ones eloped from the facility, only to be found hours to months later, injured, frozen, in pain, and many times, deceased. If they are not harmed by the weather, hurt by a car - sometimes simply being without food, water and medicine for extended time was enough to cause irreperable harm.
So please - if your loved one WANDERS, make sure the facility knows, and investigate how they will address the issue.
ABUSE, WITH NO HARM?
It is a sad state of the world, when states have to create laws that prohibit abusing an elderly patient of a long term care facility... but because abuse happens, states have responded. Today I read a published case from Missouri where the Court held a nursing home administrator yelling at a resident in public, and HITTING him, constitutes abuse. What, someone actually argued that isn't abuse? Yes, and their argument was based on the fact the resident suffered no physical or emotional harm.
Well, some (very mistaken person) could argue a dementia patient experiences no emotional harm when verbally abused because that person lacks short term memory... but that certainly does not excuse the abuse, justify it or put it in a class free from consequenes. So good job Missouri! Thank you for reminding us that the issue is not the consequence, but the act of abuse itself.
Well, some (very mistaken person) could argue a dementia patient experiences no emotional harm when verbally abused because that person lacks short term memory... but that certainly does not excuse the abuse, justify it or put it in a class free from consequenes. So good job Missouri! Thank you for reminding us that the issue is not the consequence, but the act of abuse itself.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
FDA ALERT ON HALDOL
Haldol is a drug used to reduce the symptoms of mental disorders such as schizophrenia. It is also prescribed to control tics (uncontrolled muscle contractions of face, arms, or shoulders) and the unintended utterances that mark Tourette's syndrome. In addition, it is used in short-term treatment of children with severe behavior problems, including hyperactivity and combativeness. It is often used in long term care facilities.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued this month an alert to all health care providers regarding potential side affects of this drug. It appears that some doctors were ordering the drug be administered intravenously or in dosages higher than recommended. The manufacturer recommends oral or intramuscular administration only. The FDA has discovered it is not uncommon for doctors to give IV haldol for the treatment of severe agitation. This is called an “off-label use.” This intravascular administration of haldol has lead to reported cases of sudden death.
Read the FDA warning here.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued this month an alert to all health care providers regarding potential side affects of this drug. It appears that some doctors were ordering the drug be administered intravenously or in dosages higher than recommended. The manufacturer recommends oral or intramuscular administration only. The FDA has discovered it is not uncommon for doctors to give IV haldol for the treatment of severe agitation. This is called an “off-label use.” This intravascular administration of haldol has lead to reported cases of sudden death.
Read the FDA warning here.
Monday, September 17, 2007
VIRGINIA’S BIRTH INJURY FUND IS SHORT ON MONEY
I have always believed that Virginia’s Birth Injury Law is a bad idea. The process is cumbersome and many infants who should receive medical assistance are rejected. On top of being a bad law…it has been woefully under-funded. The program is $128.9 million short of cash needed to provide lifetime care for current children and those who are expected to enter the program over the next 10 years.
Now the news out of Richmond is that financial help is on the way but the remedy may be worse than the problem. Documents obtained by The Times-Dispatch newspaper show the plan would erase as much as half the shortage, about $70.3 million, by capping benefit payments to children and through accounting adjustments that lessen cash obligations by some $44 million.
Does limiting the necessary care of accepted infants in order to allow more infants into the program make sense? Not to me!
Read the Richmond Times report here.
Now the news out of Richmond is that financial help is on the way but the remedy may be worse than the problem. Documents obtained by The Times-Dispatch newspaper show the plan would erase as much as half the shortage, about $70.3 million, by capping benefit payments to children and through accounting adjustments that lessen cash obligations by some $44 million.
Does limiting the necessary care of accepted infants in order to allow more infants into the program make sense? Not to me!
Read the Richmond Times report here.
Friday, September 14, 2007
MAKE HOSPITAL ERRORS PUBLIC INFORMATION
Kudos to the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (NYCHHC)! The nation’s largest public health system will begin publicly releasing data today on infection and death rates at its 11 hospitals. One of the reasons for the disclosure is the widespread concern about deadly but preventable hospital-acquired infections. The city’s move, driven by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s effort to make public health a centerpiece of his administration is a bold step in an industry that has long resisted transparency. The information will be posted on the hospital corporation’s Web site, www.nyc.gov/hhc. Read the New York Times article here.
How about Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital? Memorial Hospital of Martinsville and Henry County? Danville Regional Medical Center? Carilion New River Valley Hospital? Montgomery Regional Hospital? Stonewall Jackson Hospital? Bristol Regional Medical Center? Alleghany Regional Hospital? Carilion Franklin Memorial Hospital? Tazewell Community Hospital? Carilion Giles Memorial Hospital?
We are waiting……………
How about Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital? Memorial Hospital of Martinsville and Henry County? Danville Regional Medical Center? Carilion New River Valley Hospital? Montgomery Regional Hospital? Stonewall Jackson Hospital? Bristol Regional Medical Center? Alleghany Regional Hospital? Carilion Franklin Memorial Hospital? Tazewell Community Hospital? Carilion Giles Memorial Hospital?
We are waiting……………
Advocates tell of failures at Atria Senior LivingCompany operates senior facility in SalisburyBusiness Wire
"As the assisted living industry celebrates National Assisted Living Week (Sept. 9 - 15), the Campaign to Improve Assisted Living and SEIU Healthcare are reminding the public that all is not well in the country’s assisted living facilities. The Campaign is calling on Atria Senior Living, the nation’s third-largest senior living provider, to put care first and make sure our nation’s seniors get the quality care and services they need."
"Unfortunately, recent reviews of government inspection reports and stories from residents and their family members reveal serious problems such as medication errors, low staffing, residents wandering away, and inadequate emergency planning. Atria Senior Living has been cited more than 1,000 times for serious resident care problems."
The Campaign has recently put together a report based on state inspection reports that details problems at this for-profit chain. Residents have reported paying thousands of dollars a month for their small apartments, yet low staffing and care problems persist. Some examples of the problems include:-- Several disturbing incidences of serious medication errors,including a resident of Atria Campana Del Rio in Tucson, Ariz.who died after receiving medicine meant for her husband formore than a month.-- An inspection of Atria Kingwood in Texas revealed a 26 percentmedication error rate. Studies show that medication errorsincrease, and the quality of resident care as a wholedecreases, when staffing is low.-- Atria Covell Gardens in Davis, CA was cited for having onlyone employee available to provide care to the facility’s 152 residents.-- Atria Virginia Beach was cited twice for having no staff onduty at its assisted living component.
GREAT ARTICLE - learn more here: www.improveassistedliving.org.
"As the assisted living industry celebrates National Assisted Living Week (Sept. 9 - 15), the Campaign to Improve Assisted Living and SEIU Healthcare are reminding the public that all is not well in the country’s assisted living facilities. The Campaign is calling on Atria Senior Living, the nation’s third-largest senior living provider, to put care first and make sure our nation’s seniors get the quality care and services they need."
"Unfortunately, recent reviews of government inspection reports and stories from residents and their family members reveal serious problems such as medication errors, low staffing, residents wandering away, and inadequate emergency planning. Atria Senior Living has been cited more than 1,000 times for serious resident care problems."
The Campaign has recently put together a report based on state inspection reports that details problems at this for-profit chain. Residents have reported paying thousands of dollars a month for their small apartments, yet low staffing and care problems persist. Some examples of the problems include:-- Several disturbing incidences of serious medication errors,including a resident of Atria Campana Del Rio in Tucson, Ariz.who died after receiving medicine meant for her husband formore than a month.-- An inspection of Atria Kingwood in Texas revealed a 26 percentmedication error rate. Studies show that medication errorsincrease, and the quality of resident care as a wholedecreases, when staffing is low.-- Atria Covell Gardens in Davis, CA was cited for having onlyone employee available to provide care to the facility’s 152 residents.-- Atria Virginia Beach was cited twice for having no staff onduty at its assisted living component.
GREAT ARTICLE - learn more here: www.improveassistedliving.org.
COMPANIES PUSH ARBITRATION CLAUSES
I know you may not think that the "arbitration clause" portion of a health care contract is a big deal... but if that health care provider has caused pain/suffering to a loved one, then the arbitration clause becomes a HUGE BIG DEAL.
The hospital/nursing home can sue you in the local trial court if you refuse to pay your bill, but if you have signed an arbitration agreement, you do not have the same access to the Courts. And this is great news for companies, such that they are encouraging the use of such contracts.
Read here: A National Arbitration Forum official has just published an article in a corporate magazine urging doctors, hospitals, HMOs etc. to all adopt arbitration clauses. The author states that arbitration provides a more affordable means of resolving health care disputes. For whom? Not plaintiffs. He goes on to state arbitration "increases access to justice" for families. Normally, my clients' access to justice includes the local court house and jury. So a conference room, far away, with higher fees, limited discovery and limited access to information "increases" my clients' access to justice.
Wow - that's a stretch.
I encourage you to read the full article.
The hospital/nursing home can sue you in the local trial court if you refuse to pay your bill, but if you have signed an arbitration agreement, you do not have the same access to the Courts. And this is great news for companies, such that they are encouraging the use of such contracts.
Read here: A National Arbitration Forum official has just published an article in a corporate magazine urging doctors, hospitals, HMOs etc. to all adopt arbitration clauses. The author states that arbitration provides a more affordable means of resolving health care disputes. For whom? Not plaintiffs. He goes on to state arbitration "increases access to justice" for families. Normally, my clients' access to justice includes the local court house and jury. So a conference room, far away, with higher fees, limited discovery and limited access to information "increases" my clients' access to justice.
Wow - that's a stretch.
I encourage you to read the full article.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
AFRICAN AMERICANS RECEIVE THE POOREST OF NURSING HOME CARE
David Barton Smith of Temple University in Philadelphia recently published the results of his study of U.S. government data on 1.5 million patients in 14,374 nursing homes in 2000, covering close to 90 percent of all nursing homes and residents. His conclusion is that elderly and ill blacks in the United States are more likely to live in poor-quality nursing homes.
The report noted that blacks were nearly twice as likely as whites to be located in a nursing home that was subsequently terminated from Medicare and Medicaid participation because of poor quality. Ten of the 20 nursing homes with the greatest disparities in quality of care were in Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan. In Milwaukee, blacks are more than twice as likely as whites to live in a nursing home with inspection deficiencies, substantial staffing shortages and financial problems.
A sad commentary indeed! Read the Reuters report here.
The report noted that blacks were nearly twice as likely as whites to be located in a nursing home that was subsequently terminated from Medicare and Medicaid participation because of poor quality. Ten of the 20 nursing homes with the greatest disparities in quality of care were in Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan. In Milwaukee, blacks are more than twice as likely as whites to live in a nursing home with inspection deficiencies, substantial staffing shortages and financial problems.
A sad commentary indeed! Read the Reuters report here.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
HOSPITAL WORKS TO STOP BEDSORES
Bedsores, pressure ulcers, decubitus ulcers…whatever name you use describes a horrible condition which can be very painful, become an entry point for infection and can lead to death!
The St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria, Illinois pipes in Olympics-style theme music over the audio system every two hours. The music is a signal to the hospital staff that it's time to perform a vital task: repositioning patients in their beds to avoid wear and tear on sensitive skin. Hospitals around the country are scrambling to put new programs in place to prevent pressure ulcers, commonly known as bedsores, after the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced last month that as of October 2008, it will no longer reimburse hospitals for treating eight ‘reasonably preventable’ conditions.
In addition to lengthening hospital stays and causing extreme pain and discomfort, pressure ulcers can increase the risk of infection, with nearly 60,000 deaths annually from hospital-acquired pressure ulcers.
In my opinion most pressure ulcers or decubitus ulcers are preventable!
Read the Wall Street Journal story here.
The St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria, Illinois pipes in Olympics-style theme music over the audio system every two hours. The music is a signal to the hospital staff that it's time to perform a vital task: repositioning patients in their beds to avoid wear and tear on sensitive skin. Hospitals around the country are scrambling to put new programs in place to prevent pressure ulcers, commonly known as bedsores, after the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced last month that as of October 2008, it will no longer reimburse hospitals for treating eight ‘reasonably preventable’ conditions.
In addition to lengthening hospital stays and causing extreme pain and discomfort, pressure ulcers can increase the risk of infection, with nearly 60,000 deaths annually from hospital-acquired pressure ulcers.
In my opinion most pressure ulcers or decubitus ulcers are preventable!
Read the Wall Street Journal story here.
COURT RULING MAY MAKE IT EASIER TO FIND OUT ABOUT YOUR DOCTOR
Experience counts. The only problem is that, as a consumer of medical care, it is almost impossible to find out if your doctor has a good success record with the surgery he or she is proposing for you. That problem may be getting closer to an answer.
Last week, a federal judge in Washington, D.C., ruled in favor of a consumer group that sued the Health and Human Services Department to allow disclosure of specific data about doctors from the Medicare claims database. US District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan concluded that releasing the data would be ‘a significant public benefit,’ and ordered the department to turn it over by Sept. 21.
The Medicare database has information on more than 40 million patients and 700,000 doctors. Those files could reveal far more than how many times a year a surgeon performs a hip replacement operation. The data could also be analyzed to determine how a doctor makes crucial decisions on tests and procedures that determine both quality and costs. They would show which doctors fail to order prudent preventive tests.
"These data will make it possible to develop measures that will be very helpful to consumers," said Robert Krughoff, president of Consumers' Checkbook, the nonprofit group that sued for the information.
Read the LA Times article here (requires free registration).
Last week, a federal judge in Washington, D.C., ruled in favor of a consumer group that sued the Health and Human Services Department to allow disclosure of specific data about doctors from the Medicare claims database. US District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan concluded that releasing the data would be ‘a significant public benefit,’ and ordered the department to turn it over by Sept. 21.
The Medicare database has information on more than 40 million patients and 700,000 doctors. Those files could reveal far more than how many times a year a surgeon performs a hip replacement operation. The data could also be analyzed to determine how a doctor makes crucial decisions on tests and procedures that determine both quality and costs. They would show which doctors fail to order prudent preventive tests.
"These data will make it possible to develop measures that will be very helpful to consumers," said Robert Krughoff, president of Consumers' Checkbook, the nonprofit group that sued for the information.
Read the LA Times article here (requires free registration).
Monday, September 10, 2007
GEORGIA CLOSES NURSING HOME
The Georgia Department of Human Resources has determined that the Forum Healthcare Group nursing home in Brunswick, Georgia is no longer suitable for residents and is closing the facility.
The decision by the state to shut down the facility came almost one month after the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services put the facility on notice that it would no longer pay for care unless drastic improvements were made. The required steps included improvements to both the physical and financial conditions of the home.
A state inspection of the home in early August revealed a leaky roof, faulty wiring, and a lack of regular food deliveries and garbage pick-up. 114 people were living at the facility at the time of the inspection.
Read the full story here.
The decision by the state to shut down the facility came almost one month after the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services put the facility on notice that it would no longer pay for care unless drastic improvements were made. The required steps included improvements to both the physical and financial conditions of the home.
A state inspection of the home in early August revealed a leaky roof, faulty wiring, and a lack of regular food deliveries and garbage pick-up. 114 people were living at the facility at the time of the inspection.
Read the full story here.
WEST VIRGINIA NURSING HOME EMPLOYEES CONTRACT TUBERCULOSIS
Seven nursing home employees who tested positive for tuberculosis are suing Pinecrest Hospital located in Beckley, WV. The lawsuit claims the state-run nursing home in Beckley allowed bacteria from the highly contagious disease to escape an isolation ward when it installed wall air conditioning units in 2001. The suit alleges that this condition exposed the workers to the potentially deadly disease.
Follow the story.
Follow the story.
Friday, September 07, 2007
FACILITY LEAVES RESIDENT IN FAMILY'S FRONT YARD
Nebraska TV Station reports:
O'Neill, NE Nursing Home Fined For Leaving Resident Unattended
A northeast Nebraska care center has been fined for leaving an elderly resident unattended.A report, done by the state department of Health and Human Services, says representatives of the Golden Living Center, in O'Neill, Nebraska, discharged a resident because the individual's family couldn't pay for the care.The report says the facility contacted their family... and subsequently transported the resident to their family's home. But, the report says, when they got there, the family refused to accept the resident... saying they couldn't care for them.The facility's representative placed the resident in a lawn chair, under a tree, at the family's home... and left.The state fined Golden Living Center $3,000 and placed the facility on probation for six months.
You think this is impossible? We get calls from families that say "they tell me if I don't sign the arbitration agreement, they will send grandpa back to the hospital, but the hospital won't take him." AND most state laws (including virginia) allow Nursing Homes to discharge you for failure to pay. What a health care system we have in the USA!
O'Neill, NE Nursing Home Fined For Leaving Resident Unattended
A northeast Nebraska care center has been fined for leaving an elderly resident unattended.A report, done by the state department of Health and Human Services, says representatives of the Golden Living Center, in O'Neill, Nebraska, discharged a resident because the individual's family couldn't pay for the care.The report says the facility contacted their family... and subsequently transported the resident to their family's home. But, the report says, when they got there, the family refused to accept the resident... saying they couldn't care for them.The facility's representative placed the resident in a lawn chair, under a tree, at the family's home... and left.The state fined Golden Living Center $3,000 and placed the facility on probation for six months.
You think this is impossible? We get calls from families that say "they tell me if I don't sign the arbitration agreement, they will send grandpa back to the hospital, but the hospital won't take him." AND most state laws (including virginia) allow Nursing Homes to discharge you for failure to pay. What a health care system we have in the USA!
NURSING HOME EMPLOYEES SEE INCREASE IN PAY
Well - some of them do at least.... and I think thats great. They should make more, but EVERYONE should - the CNA's / Med Techs - especially the care givers. Article here:
August 22 2007
Nursing home operators value good nursing leaders, the latest results from the nation's most in-depth nursing-home survey indicate. The national median salary for directors of nursing (DONs) at nursing homes jumped 5.2% this year, up to $72,515. Similarly, assistant DONs enjoyed a 4.9% rise, up to $60,022.
Administrators, meanwhile, saw their national median salary increase by a less robust 3%, to $82,400. Assistant administrators' median pay climbed to $59,357.
The figures come from the newly released 2007-2008 AAHSA Nursing Home Salary & Benefits Report. More than 2,500 facilities took part in the 30th annual survey, which is published by Oakland, NJ-based Hospital & Healthcare Compensation Service and supported by both major nursing home associations.
I am surprised at how high these salaries are... SO, what does the average CNA or LPN make?
Not $60,000 - sadly.
August 22 2007
Nursing home operators value good nursing leaders, the latest results from the nation's most in-depth nursing-home survey indicate. The national median salary for directors of nursing (DONs) at nursing homes jumped 5.2% this year, up to $72,515. Similarly, assistant DONs enjoyed a 4.9% rise, up to $60,022.
Administrators, meanwhile, saw their national median salary increase by a less robust 3%, to $82,400. Assistant administrators' median pay climbed to $59,357.
The figures come from the newly released 2007-2008 AAHSA Nursing Home Salary & Benefits Report. More than 2,500 facilities took part in the 30th annual survey, which is published by Oakland, NJ-based Hospital & Healthcare Compensation Service and supported by both major nursing home associations.
I am surprised at how high these salaries are... SO, what does the average CNA or LPN make?
Not $60,000 - sadly.
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
PATIENT WITH DEMENTIA SUES NURSING HOME AFTER FALL
Many elderly experience cognitive decline as they age and sometimes the cognitive decline progresses to dementia. Dementia is defined as a significant loss of intellectual abilities such as memory capacity, severe enough to interfere with social or occupational functioning. Nursing home residents suffering from dementia require a proper treatment plan which reduces the risks of harm. These residents are at increased risk of falls and here is a sad story on just that very topic.
Melba Taff, 77, says because she was suffering from dementia while living at the PHP Oaks at Beaumont nursing home in Jefferson County, Texas, the facility had an obligation to minimize her falling risks. Taff is suing Pinnacle Health Facilities of Texas, owners of the Beaumont nursing home, for "failing to implement a comprehensive care plan" designed to keep her from falling out of her bed and fracturing her hip.
Follow the full story here.
Melba Taff, 77, says because she was suffering from dementia while living at the PHP Oaks at Beaumont nursing home in Jefferson County, Texas, the facility had an obligation to minimize her falling risks. Taff is suing Pinnacle Health Facilities of Texas, owners of the Beaumont nursing home, for "failing to implement a comprehensive care plan" designed to keep her from falling out of her bed and fracturing her hip.
Follow the full story here.
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
FAMILIES GET INVOLVED WITH HOSPITAL CARE
Great article in today's Washington Post (available here), called Teaming Up to Prevent 'Crashes'
Some Hospitals Give Patients the Power to Get Extra Help, Stat
By Shirley S. Wang
Ms Wang writes about a new effort hospitals are making to allow family members call for help when their loved one is NOT getting care required in the hospital.
Hospitals are now providing emergency call buttons for families to alarm - and have trained rapid response teams on sight to respond.
The "rapid response team" (RRT) is designed to identify patients before they crash, or "code," in respiratory or cardiac distress. Though staff members typically call for the team, some hospitals -- in a controversial step -- now permit patients and their families to activate the system if they feel a patient is failing or not getting needed medical attention.
"Families know these patients better than anybody else," said Kathy Duncan, a faculty expert on RRTs at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, a nonprofit organization focused on patient safety initiatives. "It's a natural progression of the culture of safety in the hospital. Everybody has a resource to call for help with the patient."
"We're letting the patient and family really become partners in their health," said Tami Merryman, vice president of the Center for Quality Improvement and Innovation at the Pittsburgh medical center, which IHI says was the first to implement patient-initiated RRTs, in 2005.
More broadly, the rapid response system is part of a national initiative to reduce preventable deaths, spurred by a 2000 Institute of Medicine report on medical errors. While it's now up to hospitals to decide whether to have such teams, a December vote by the Joint Commission, a nonprofit that accredits hospitals, could mandate them in all medical centers.
Great idea guys... we often hear from families, frustration on needing physician care immediately, and not receiving it, even in the hospital. Now the well educated and observant family member can participate as well.
Some Hospitals Give Patients the Power to Get Extra Help, Stat
By Shirley S. Wang
Ms Wang writes about a new effort hospitals are making to allow family members call for help when their loved one is NOT getting care required in the hospital.
Hospitals are now providing emergency call buttons for families to alarm - and have trained rapid response teams on sight to respond.
The "rapid response team" (RRT) is designed to identify patients before they crash, or "code," in respiratory or cardiac distress. Though staff members typically call for the team, some hospitals -- in a controversial step -- now permit patients and their families to activate the system if they feel a patient is failing or not getting needed medical attention.
"Families know these patients better than anybody else," said Kathy Duncan, a faculty expert on RRTs at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, a nonprofit organization focused on patient safety initiatives. "It's a natural progression of the culture of safety in the hospital. Everybody has a resource to call for help with the patient."
"We're letting the patient and family really become partners in their health," said Tami Merryman, vice president of the Center for Quality Improvement and Innovation at the Pittsburgh medical center, which IHI says was the first to implement patient-initiated RRTs, in 2005.
More broadly, the rapid response system is part of a national initiative to reduce preventable deaths, spurred by a 2000 Institute of Medicine report on medical errors. While it's now up to hospitals to decide whether to have such teams, a December vote by the Joint Commission, a nonprofit that accredits hospitals, could mandate them in all medical centers.
Great idea guys... we often hear from families, frustration on needing physician care immediately, and not receiving it, even in the hospital. Now the well educated and observant family member can participate as well.
Monday, September 03, 2007
MEDICAL FACILITIES OF AMERICA FILES LAWSUIT
Folks, my law firm represent nursing home residents and their families in cases of abuse and neglect against the nursing home industry. We have written many articles in Legal Medicine about the horrendous care provided to some residents. We have also written here, and on our firm’s web site about the dangers of signing admission agreements which contain mandatory arbitration clauses. These clauses prevent a resident or their family from holding the nursing home accountable for their acts of negligence. Well…both of these topics have now become one!
Medical Facilities of America (MFA), the largest nursing home chain based in Virginia, has now filed its own lawsuit against an ex-employee and others for misconduct. MFA, a Roanoke County-based chain with more than 30 homes statewide, filed the lawsuit Aug. 23 in Roanoke County Circuit Court. It lists 10 defendants, including John Henderson, a former employee at MFA who was in charge of maintenance and renovation of its facilities.
Why is it okay for MFA to have access to the court system to hold people and corporations accountable but it is not okay for the residents of MFA’s nursing homes to do the same thing? Outrageous! I think so!
Read the Roanoke Times report.
Medical Facilities of America (MFA), the largest nursing home chain based in Virginia, has now filed its own lawsuit against an ex-employee and others for misconduct. MFA, a Roanoke County-based chain with more than 30 homes statewide, filed the lawsuit Aug. 23 in Roanoke County Circuit Court. It lists 10 defendants, including John Henderson, a former employee at MFA who was in charge of maintenance and renovation of its facilities.
Why is it okay for MFA to have access to the court system to hold people and corporations accountable but it is not okay for the residents of MFA’s nursing homes to do the same thing? Outrageous! I think so!
Read the Roanoke Times report.
NEGLIGENT HOMICIDE CASE IN NEW ORLEANS TAKES A TWIST
A survey taken the weekend before Hurricane Katrina struck showed that more than half of the homes questioned had decided against evacuating. But a jury hearing the case against the owners of a home where 35 patients died in Katrina's floods may never see the document.
The trial judge ruled the document could be admitted, but prosecutors immediately said they would appeal, forcing the defense to postpone the testimony of Joe Donchess, the executive director of the Louisiana Nursing Home Association, who compiled the list.
The list shows that 57 of the 88 facilities contacted decided not to evacuate, including at least nine nursing homes in Orleans Parish, where there was a mandatory evacuation order.
Read the full Associated Press story.
The trial judge ruled the document could be admitted, but prosecutors immediately said they would appeal, forcing the defense to postpone the testimony of Joe Donchess, the executive director of the Louisiana Nursing Home Association, who compiled the list.
The list shows that 57 of the 88 facilities contacted decided not to evacuate, including at least nine nursing homes in Orleans Parish, where there was a mandatory evacuation order.
Read the full Associated Press story.
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