Monthly Archives: December 2011
Kentucky Group Pushing Medical Review Panels
Posted in Featured Articles on December 30, 2011The Kentucky Association of Health Care Facilities has proposed legislation that would require all potential lawsuits against nursing homes to be evaluated by a medical review panel before going to trial. The panel would consist of three physicians chosen by the parties. They argue that this … Read the Rest
Questions Arise About Residents’ Health and Safety at Care Home in Lexington
Posted in Featured Articles on December 30, 2011The Messner Home, a care home in Lexington, KY, housing more than 70 men, most of them mentally ill or developmentally disabled, is under investigation by the state over living conditions in the facility’s three buildings, according to news reports. Ralph Messner, 77, the owner of the home, … Read the Rest
Kentucky AG Reviews Claims Of Abuse At Danville Nursing Home
Posted in Featured Articles on December 22, 2011The Kentucky Attorney General’s Office is reviewing a Type A citation that was issued last summer to Charleston Health Care Center, a nursing home in Danville. Type A is the state’s most serious nursing home citation, issued in cases where a resident’s life or safety has been endangered due … Read the Rest
Stop Medicare Payments For Nursing Homes’ Unapproved Use Of Antipsychotic Drugs, Government Official Urges
Posted in Featured Articles on December 21, 2011U.S. Health and Human Services Inspector General Daniel Levinson has recommended penalties for nursing homes that inappropriately use powerful psychiatric drugs to calm residents who have dementia. Levinson has called for Medicare to deny payments for antipsychotic medications when nursing homes … Read the Rest
Operation Cardiac Arrest: Certification Scam Put Untrained Caregivers in Nursing Homes
Posted in Nursing Home Violations on December 16, 2011Twenty-one people were arrested in Florida’s Miami-Dade County recently after the state attorney’s office unearthed a scam that authorities are calling Operation Cardiac Arrest, in which fake certifications were exchanged for cash. Purchasers received certificates that allowed them to work as … Read the Rest
Visiting Nursing Home Residents
Posted in Featured Articles on December 16, 2011As the holidays approach, this seems an excellent time to discuss visiting your loved ones who live in a nursing home. Many people choose to make a nursing home visit at the holidays. Other people may be trying to establish regular visits with their elderly loved ones. Either way, there are a … Read the Rest
For-Profit Chain Nursing Homes Provide the Lowest Quality of Care
Posted in Featured Articles on December 8, 2011A new study shows that, on average, for-profit, chain nursing homes score lower on quality-of-care indicators and receive more deficiencies in inspections by state and federal regulators than nursing homes run by other entities. The study, which was undertaken by Charlene Harrington, professor … Read the Rest
Norovirus Outbreaks Represent Danger for Nursing Home Patients
Posted in General on December 6, 2011In the last two weeks, two nursing homes — one in South Carolina and one in California — have been put under quarantine due to norovirus outbreaks. More than 150 people caught the virus in South Carolina, and over 80 residents and staff came down with it in California. What is the norovirus? It’s … Read the Rest
Kentucky Elder Abuse Attorney Says Analysis of Recent Nursing Home Inspections Shows Limited Progress
Posted in Featured Articles on December 2, 2011Bowling Green attorney Lee Coleman said today that recent inspections of Kentucky nursing homes show encouraging progress but exhibit performance that’s far from exemplary. Coleman was referring to a watchdog group’s analysis of the inspections conducted by Kentucky’s Cabinet for Health … Read the Rest
Nursing Home Patients Less Likely to Get Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment
Posted in General on December 1, 2011A new study, just released in Family Practice News, reveals that nursing home residents are less likely to receive cancer screenings, surgical treatment and hospice care. Researchers looked at 145,000 medical records and determined that only 6.3% of nursing home residents diagnosed with prostate … Read the Rest
