Attorney General Maura Healey announced a $90,000 settlement with Milton HC Operating, LLC to resolve neglect allegations, resulting in death. Milton must pay $90,000 to the Long-Term Care Facility Quality Improvement Fund. The Department of Public Health uses the Fund to improve the safety and quality of care provided in long-term care facilities. The settlement
The Department of Justice issued a press release explaining the lawsuit against Paragon Management and 11 nursing homes they manage. The lawsuit alleges the Defendants committed Medicare Fraud. DOJ contends the nursing homes inflated Medicare reimbursements by giving unsafe and unnecessary therapy. The lawsuit seeks damages and civil penalties under the False Claims Act for
Skilled Nursing News had an interesting conversation with Dr. Buffy Lloyd-Krejci. She started an infection control consulting firm, IPCWell to help nursing homes with infection prevention and control. CMS mandates that every nursing home implement an infection control program. However, nursing homes had problems with training, compliance, and inadequate staffing. Lloyd-Krejci worked in nursing homes
A study found one in five nursing home residents with advanced dementia harbor strains of drug-resistant bacteria. More than 10 percent of the drug-resistant bacteria are resistant to four or more antibiotic classes. The research was published online in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America. Erika
In early 2021, the Colorado Court of Appeals issued an opinion in Johnson v. Rowan Inc., 2021 WL 280523 (Colo. App. 2021). The case involved the enforceability of an arbitration agreement in the stack of admission paperwork. The Colorado Health Care Availability Act (HCAA) permits mandatory pre-dispute arbitration between patients and their health care providers
Abuse and Cruelty The owner/operator of Woodhaven Senior Living is in trouble. Police arrested Kent Allen Womack for cruelty to people over the age of 65. Scared ad concerned residents called investigators after finding residents living in temperatures higher than 90 degrees. They quickly discovered the facility had no working air conditioner, with the thermostat