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One day I was watching an Throwdown with Bobby Flay and he announced that “today” he was going up against the Chef who makes his favorite cake of all time. Turned out it was the Ultimate Coconut Cake from the Peninsula Grill in Charleston, South Carolina. Well, I ordered one and it was to die […]
Pat Summitt was one of the all-time best coaches in NCAA history. As Head Coach of the University of Tennessee’s Women’s Basket Ball, her win-loss record was 1,098–208 (.841). Tragically, she developed Alzheimer’s disease and died in 2016. Her legacy leaves us with words of wisdom to live by. Here are 25 of her most […]
The National Council on Aging published an article titled Get the Facts on Elder Abuse. Using graphics to identify signs and symptoms of different forms of abuse, it describes different forms of abuse and provides resources/links you can use to get help. Of course, the first thing you should always do if you suspect abuse […]
I was raised eating Egg Custard Pie. It’s one of my favorites. My dad’s family was dirt poor, living in east Tennessee. When his birthday came around, invariably his “cake” was egg custard pie because it’s simple, inexpensive and delicious. When he married my mom, one of the first things his mom taught my mom […]

The federal Patient Self-Determination Act, passed in 1990 and effective on December 1, 1991, requires most health care providers to provide information regarding health care advance directives. The purpose of the legislation was to enhance patient choice. It applies to Medicare providers through 42 U.S. Code § 1395cc(f) and Medicaid providers through 42 U.S. Code […]
HUD provides capital advances to finance the construction, rehabilitation or acquisition with or without rehabilitation of structures that will serve as supportive housing for very low-income elderly persons, including the frail elderly, and provides rent subsidies for the projects to help make them affordable. The Section 202 program helps expand the supply of affordable housing […]
Numbering just over 75 million, today’s 21- to 37-year-olds—millennials—are the largest generation in US history. They are more tech savvy, more racially and ethnically diverse, and more educated, and they marry and have children later in life than previous generations. And though most millennials have now entered peak household formation and homebuying years, they are becoming homeowners later and at […]
Greene appealed denial of his application for Medicaid. The denial was affirmed by an administrative law judge. After review, the Commissioner adopted the findings of fact of the ALJ. The Commissioner addressed Greene’s specific arguments by explicitly noting the underlying evidence in the record supporting the ALJ’s decision and citing two cases: Atkinson v. Ledbetter […]
In Cruver v. Mitchell, Medicaid had paid many of Mitchell’s expenses until shortly before the hearing. Appellants, however, had decided to stop her benefits and “just pay for [the expenses] out of pocket,” using money from Mitchell’s bank accounts. Appellants explained that they removed their mother from the Medicaid program so that the State would […]
The undisputed record shows that in April 2004, Gladowski qualified for Medicaid assistance to pay for nursing home care, but the Department of Community Health delayed her benefits until September 2006 on the ground that Gladowski improperly transferred assets to qualify for Medicaid coverage. Gladowski appealed the decision to an administrative law judge (ALJ), who […]
White, a British citizen and a legal permanent resident of the United States entered the United States in 1991.She was issued a green card and resided in the U.S. continuously. When she applied for Medicaid, she was denied eligibility because she had not resided in the U.S. cotinuously for five years as provided for in […]
The Georgia Supreme Court granted certiorari to consider whether the Court of Appeals properly interpreted 42 USC § 1396p with respect to whether a Medicaid applicant’s purchase of an annuity was subject to an asset transfer penalty. In this case, the Georgia Department of Human Services, Family and Children Services (“DFCS”) granted appellee Jerry L. […]
Corrine Barber died on June 22, 2005. Her Will left the bulk of her estate to her youngest child, Alecia Holmes (fathered by Adams). When Alecia offered the Will for probate, Corrine’s four older children (fathered by Barber) filed a caveat. They contended the Will was invalid due to undue influence. The probate court granted […]
In November 2002, Mrs. Medder’s husband died. Her husband left her real estate and personal property in his Will. In May, 2003, Mrs. Medders filed a renunciation and disclaimer “renouncing” the gift in her husband’s Will. Less than three years after the renunciation, Mrs. Medders applied for Medicaid. When Mrs. Medders applied for Medicaid, the […]
Richard J. Medalie, brought suit under the Medicare Secondary Payer statute (the “MSP”) against the drug companies that developed, manufactured, and marketed the drug Baycol. Following its decision in Stalley v. Catholic Health Initiatives, Nos. 06-3884, 06-4121, 2007 U.S. App. LEXIS 27331, 2007 WL 4165751 (8th Cir. Nov. 27, 2007), the Court held that an MSP […]
This case involves an insurance coverage dispute after Freddie Mae Burns died at Leland Health Care Center, a 128-bed skilled nursing facility, due to excessive heat. Teresa Johnson, administrator and former director of nursing, was responsible for controlling the HVAC settings and failed to set them properly during a heat wave. Leland Health Care, LLC, […]
Jury returned a defense verdict and Plaintiff appealed challenging two issues concerning the exclusion of evidence. Plaintiff contended it was error to exclude evidence that another resident inappropriately touched the resident, as well as evidence of subsequent similar acts. Plaintiff also argued that the trial court erred by going forward with the trial while there […]
Walter M. Clark v. Tirr Rehabilitation Center Plaintiffs sued alleging that resident, who had osteoporosis, was negligently dropped by a physical therapist. The trial court dismissed the suit for failure to file an expert witness report. Plaintiffs argued an expert report was not necessary because the claim was for ordinary negligence. Although the injury occurred […]
Margie Mary Anderson started receiving Medicaid benefits on January 1, 1994. She died on February 21, 2004. Prior to Ms. Anderson’s death, benefits in the amount of $99,345.81 were paid to her medical providers on her behalf by the Tennessee Bureau of TennCare. In June, October and November of 2003, TennCare sent letters to Henkel’s […]
Mary Virginia Jones Henkel started receiving Medicaid benefits on July 1, 1991. She died on February 19, 2003. In March of 2003, her Conservator sent the Tennessee Bureau of TennCare a copy of the final accounting for Henkel’s conservatorship. TennCare responded by sending a printout of medical services paid by the State to the conservator, […]
On appeal, the issue was the validity of an arbitration agreement entered into by Dorothy Necessary (“Plaintiff”) while signing documents on her husband’s behalf to have him admitted to a skilled nursing facility. Necessary had her husband’s oral express authority to sign all paperwork necessary for his admission to the facility. She claimed that this […]
The Estate of Clifford Ward filed a wrongful death case against a nursing home and corporate defendants in the Rutherford County Circuit Court. The four defendants were National Healthcare Corporation; NHC/Delaware, Inc.; NHC, Inc.; and National Healthcare/Knoxville, LLC. In the complaint, the plaintiffs alleged that the defendants were joint venturers with an equal right to […]
Stinson, a 75 year old who was struck by another resident, fell and broke her hip. She died four months later. The resident who struck her, Johnson, had been approved for placement at the nursing home after he was evaluated by the State. Gensis was under contract with Life Care to provide mental health services […]
On appeal, the Supreme Court of Tennessee found that the primary issue was whether a durable power of attorney for health care authorized the attorney-in-fact to enter into an arbitration agreement as part of a contract admitting the principal to a nursing home and thereby to waive the principal’s right to trial by jury. The […]
The trial court granted summary judgment to the defendant, finding that the statute of limitations had run. The Court of appeals reversed the trial court’s ruling in January, 2006 after finding that disability tolls the statute of limitations notwithstanding the existence of a durable power of attorney. On appeal, the defendants argued the that the agent, […]
After a jury returned a verdict for the Estate, Defendants field a motion for new trial. The action was brought against the doctor, and the nursing home and several employees after resident suffered anoxic brain injury when she dislodged her tracheostomy tube. Prior to trial all parties except the doctor settled and the trial proceeded […]
Defendant Barnes, an agency nurse, was found guilty in a criminal case of knowingly, intentionally and recklessly causing injury to a nursing home resident by cutting her feeding tube. The remaining Defendants in a civil case filed a Motion for Issue Preclusion against Barnes, seeking a conclusive determination that Barnes intentionally and surreptitiously cut the […]
This case concerns a dispute under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The issue was whether Plaintiff’s mental and physical condition were in issue by filing a malpractice suit and whether the trial court erred by allowing, but not requiring, ex parte oral communications with health care providers. On appeal the court held […]
After admission to the nursing home, resident met with the admissions director and signed a “resident admission agreement” and an “alternative dispute resolution agreement between resident and facility.” Later, resident suffered from recurring falls, was permitted to get sick and died as a result of treatment. Daughter filed a wrongful death action against nursing home. […]
In wrongful death case against nursing home, Defendants appealed trial court’s order granting motion to compel three incident reports prepared by staff, and denying Defendants’ motion for protective order based on peer review privilege. Incident reports were prepared by nursing home following unusual circumstances and documented facts surrounding them. Defendants provided affidavit of Administrator stating […]
After Plaintiffs filed a wrongful death suit, Defendants filed a motion to compel arbitration. Plaintiff argued the resident was incompetent and incapable of understanding the agreement and that the agent had no authority to enter into an arbitration agreement. The court found that resident’s health care agent had authority to bind the agent “in matters […]
