Levels of Care – Page 2

Nursing Home Residents at Risk: Study Finds Significant Understaffing in 75% of Skilled Nursing Facilities

Alex Fajardo on July 22, 2019

Category: Levels of Care

A recent study found significant understaffing in 75% of nursing facilities across the country, raising concerns about the level of care patients receive.

The Harvard and Vanderbilt study, published in the July issue of the Journal of Health Affairs, used data from the Payroll Based Journal (PBJ) to analyze the staffing levels of more than 15,000 facilities. The study examined the staffing levels of registered nurses (RN), licensed practical nurses (LPN), and nurse aides, relative to the number of nursing home residents who rely on their care.

Nursing Home Neglect and Abuse Incidents are Largely Unreported

Bridget Velez on June 27, 2019

Category: Documentation & Reporting, Elder Issues, Injuries, Levels of Care

On June 12, 2019, a report released by the Health and Human Services’ Office of the Inspector General revealed that Nursing Home Abuse remains largely unreported. The study examined claims sent to Medicare in 2016 by beneficiaries residing in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs). The report states that approximately one in five of those emergency room visits were the result of potential abuse or neglect.

Incapacitated Woman Gave Birth in Arizona Nursing Home: Attorneys seeking $45M from the State

Sherri Warfel on June 18, 2019

Category: Documentation & Reporting, Injuries, Levels of Care, News

Late last December, a nurse at Hacienda HealthCare in Arizona panicked and called 911 as a patient unexpectedly gave birth. The 29 year old patient, who has been in a vegetative state since age 3, delivered a healthy baby boy. A police investigation concluded that one of her caregivers, a 32 year-old male nurse, raped the patient several times and fathered the child. The victim’s attorneys filed a $45 million notice of claim against the state of Arizona in late May.

After giving birth in the nursing home, the victim and baby were transferred to a nearby hospital. According to the hospital, the baby’s birth was “a repeat parous event,” meaning the victim had likely been pregnant before.

Senators Reveal List of Troubled Nursing Homes: 11 New Jersey Nursing Homes Flagged for Harmful Conditions

Alex Fajardo on June 11, 2019

Category: Elder Issues, Levels of Care, Nursing Home Information

A list of nursing homes around the country flagged by federal lawmakers for persistent health issues has now been made public, and 11 of them are in New Jersey.

The government would previously not disclose the official list of the nursing homes with serious ongoing health, safety, or sanitary problems found by inspectors. The silence cracked on June 4^th when Sens. Bob Casey and Pat Toomey from Pennsylvania released the list of over 400 nursing homes the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) flagged with persistently poor survey inspection results.

Revised Quality Rating System Gives 29 New Jersey Nursing Homes a One-Star Rating

Jonathan Lauri on June 10, 2019

Category: Elder Issues, Levels of Care, News, Nursing Home Information

Last month, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) revised their Nursing Home Compare 5-Star Quality Rating System, giving 29 New Jersey nursing facilities a one-star rating. These updates intend to give consumers clearer information about the quality of care residents receive at different nursing centers. The changes also aim to promote quality improvement within the facilities.

Federal Government Slaps $600K Fine on Wanaque Center After 11 Children Die

Jonathan Lauri on March 18, 2019

Category: Levels of Care, News

The federal government imposed a $600,331 fine on the New Jersey nursing center where a viral outbreak left 11 children dead and 36 sick last year. Investigators reported Wanaque nursing home’s poor infection controls, lack of administrative oversight, and slow response from medical staff “directly contributed” to the rapid spread of the virus and its related death toll.

Will Tort Reform Affect Nursing Home Care?

mschrama on July 20, 2017

Category: Legislation, Legislation Watch, Levels of Care, News, Nursing Home Information

The latest tort reform measure, H.R. 1215, the Protecting Access to Care Act of 2017, would place caps on medical malpractice damages, limit attorney fees, and modify statutes of limitations. Among other changes to current law, non-economic damages in medical malpractice lawsuits would be limited to $250,000 – and juries would not be informed of this cap on damages. H.R. 1215 would apply to health care lawsuits where coverage for the care was provided or subsidized by the federal government, including through subsidies or tax benefits.

H.R. 1215 would preempt state laws governing health care litigation in several areas, including statutes of limitation, joint and several liability, product liability, and attorney contingency fees.

Proponents of the bill claim that the bill would lower medical liability insurance premiums, and by extension, reduce the incidence of so-called “defensive” medical treatments and lower costs associated with federal health care programs such as Medicaid.

What Are the Signs of Nursing Home Neglect?

Carin A. O'Donnell on July 12, 2017

Category: Elder Issues, Levels of Care

A caregiver may face the overwhelming decision to place a loved one in a nursing home after a sudden event such as a fall or a stroke. Sometimes, there is more time to prepare, as in cases where the loved one suffers from a chronic or debilitating disease, including diseases where the patient is expected to deteriorate over time.

Once a loved one is safely tucked into a nursing home bed, a caregiver may feel a sense of relief. However, nursing home staff members are notoriously overburdened with the everyday tasks involved in caring for their elderly patients. Nonetheless, it is the responsibility of nursing home staff and management to ensure that each resident receives the care he or she needs.

Pennsylvania Nursing Homes Often Understaffed

sstark on May 1, 2017

Category: Levels of Care
Tag: understaffed nursing homes in PA

In its five-part “Failing the Frail” series, a PennLive investigation reveals the 18 most understaffed Pennsylvania nursing homes. The series includes an interactive map to search for staffing levels of individual nursing homes.

Based on PennLive’s analysis of 559 facilities, nursing homes in Pennsylvania provided residents with an average of only 3.6 hours of care per day, well below the minimum 4.1 hours recommended for safe care, although within Pennsylvania’s minimum staffing requirement of 2.7 hours of care per day. The analysis found 477 homes, or 85 percent, provided less than the recommended level. The analysis further found that 183 homes, or 33 percent, were dangerously understaffed because they provided less than 3.5 hours of care per day and, less than 32 minutes of care from registered nurses.

Newspaper Highlights Problems with PA Nursing Homes

sstark on December 21, 2016

Category: Documentation & Reporting, Elder Issues, Levels of Care, Nursing Home Information

Special kudos to the Reading Eagle on its recent series on nursing homes – in particular the editorial We Must Demand Better from Nursing Homes, Regulators, published on December 11, 2016. For those of us who work hard to hold nursing home corporations accountable when seniors are neglected, abused, seriously injured, or die, this series of articles is a vindication.

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