WFSU Public Media reported that Group Homes For Those With Developmental Disabilities Face A Growing Worker Shortage. Developmental disability service providers are the latest to join a list of employers who say they’re facing a worker shortage. Advocates say direct support professionals who left the industry because of health concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic aren’t […]
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On the Georgia Supreme Court’s Argument Calendar for May 18, 2021 is Clinch Healthcare Center Et. Al. v. Fountain, As Administrator of the Estate of LeRoy Wiggins (S20G1292). The Court’s Summary is as follows: A nursing home and its owners are appealing a Georgia Court of Appeals decision that upheld Cobb County State Court’s denial […]
The following links can be used to research health care providers and, if necessary, to file a complaint with State licensing boards and boards of certification: Complaint and Discipline Process for Nurses (Powerpoint by Georgia Board of Nursing) Contact Information For Filing a Complaint with the State Survey Agency (CMS.gov) Do your research about your doctor or […]
Frontline posted a new podcast regarding a race-related murder in Chicago in 1955. That murder resulted in a bill named for the victim that would wind up in the halls of Congress. It was aimed at bringing justice to unsolved killings from the civil rights era. Around the same time, the Department of Justice and […]
New Interactive Tool Provides Social Determinants of Health Data on Internet Access A new online data visualization tool from AHRQ gives analysts access to social determinants of health (SDOH) data related to people’s access to the internet. Internet access is essential for obtaining home-based telemedicine and is increasingly important for healthcare needs such as making […]
Nicole T. Jorwic, J.D, Senior Director of Public Policy at The Arc and an expert on the topic of home- and community-based services (HCBS) will provide an overview of the HCBS program and describes how it helps people living with paralysis access the supports and serves they need to live independent lives. Nicole will also […]
On June 18, 2021, the National Ombudsman Resource Center will hold a webinar from 3:00 to 4:30 ET regarding resuming in-person visits during Covid 19. It will feature tips for identifying trauma, potential abuse and supporting residents. Dr. Laura Mosqueda, a national and international expert on elder abuse and neglect, will provide tips for Ombudsman […]
This video provides an overview of resource on the National Ombudsman Resource Center website.
Statutory, Regulatory and Administrative References 42 U.S.C. § 1395i-3. Medicare: Requirements for, and assuring quality of care in, skilled nursing facilities 42 U.S.C. § 1396r. Medicaid: Requirements for nursing facilities. 42 C.F.R. § 483.1 to 483.95. Requirements for Long Term Care Facilities. Proposed Rules, 71 F.R. 62957 (10/27/2006), Medicare and Medicaid Program; Fire Safety Requirements […]
Diversicare Gen. Partner, Inc. v. Rubio, 185 S.W.3d 842 (Tex. 2005). Maria Rubio was a nursing home resident suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. While in the nursing home she was sexually assaulted by another resident. Suit followed alleging a failure to protect. Plaintiff alleged that the sexual assault was not a professional negligence claim that was […]
United States ex rel. Szymczak v. Covenant Healthcare Sys., 2006 U.S. App. LEXIS 32112 (7th Cir. 2006). James Szymczak brought a qui tam action against a hospital and nursing home alleging that fraudulent Medicare claims were filed and payment was received for unnecessary, unrendered, misrepresented, and unreimbursable services in violation of the False claims act […]
Ostrom v. Manorcare Health Servs., 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4106 (D. Mich. 2007). Plaintiff, an Alzheimer’s patient, exited the nursing home on March 22, 2004 through an unlocked door. He was chased by staff as he went into a courtyard. In the courtyard, he tripped over a light post and suffered injury. He was found […]
Rucker v. Indianola Health & Rehab. Ctr. 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 71192 (D. Miss. 2006). Plaintiff filed wrongful death action against a nursing home alleging personal service on February 18, 2005. Default was entered on March 24, 2005. The case was removed to federal court on April 4, 2005. On April 13, 2005, default judgment […]
Russell v. Nat’l Heritage Realty, Inc., 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 640 (D. Miss. 2007). Plaintiff filed suit against Indianola Health & Rehabilitation Center. The Defendant is a mere trade name and the nursing home was operated by National Heritage Realty, Inc. Defendant moved to dismiss the claim, and plaintiff failed to file a response. The […]
Martin v. Lafon Nursing Facility of the Holy Family, Inc., 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3644 (D. La. 2007). Plaintiff filed suit against a nursing home in State court alleging that Defendant failed to take necessary precautions to protect nursing home residents from Hurricane Katrina. The action was filed as a class action and Defendant removed […]
Atkinson v. Manor Care Health Servs. 2006 Iowa App. LEXIS 744 (Iowa Ct. App. 2006). After instructing the jury, the court realized that no instruction was given on proximate cause. Counsel for both parties consented to the instruction. The court then included it in the written charge delivered to the jury, but it was not […]
Bennett v. Beverly Enters., 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 75561 (D. Miss. 2006). Plaintiff filed suit alleging that Defendants participated in an unlawful scheme to fraudulently convey Beverly’s assets through a merger transaction to avoid paying civil judgments. Defendants moved to dismiss. The court found that Mississippi’s long arm statute did not reach the Defendants and […]
Am. Econ. Ins. Co. v. Jackson, 2007 U.S. App. LEXIS 3232 (8th Cir. 2007). 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 […]
Redwood v. Dobson, 476 F.3d 462 (7th Cir. 2007). The court identifies this litigation as a “grudge match.” When counsel spent the first 30 pages of a deposition reviewing Gerstein’s criminal history, the questions got under his skin. After he began answering with “that’s none of your business” counsel began instructing him not to answer. […]
Wilcox v. Gamble Guest Care Corp., 928 So. 2d 695 (La. Ct. App. 2006). Plaintiff appealed after trial court sustained patient liability fund’s exception of no cause of action on Nursing Home Bill of Rights claim and appealed trial court’s awards for damages. Plaintiff had settled with the nursing home and proceeded to trial against […]
Forsythe v. Clark USA, Inc., 2007 Ill. LEXIS 434 (Ill. 2007). Two mechanics were killed at a refinery. Later, their estates filed suit against Clark Refining and Marketing, as well as other defendants including Clark USA. Plaintiffs alleged “that defendant breached a duty to use reasonable care in imposing its business strategy on Clark Refining […]
Lakeridge Villa Health Care Ctr. v. Leavitt, 2006 U.S. App. LEXIS 27338 (6th Cir. 2006). Lakeridge is an Ohio nursing home that participates in Medicare and Medicaid. When it was surveyed, it was found out of compliance with several provider requirements. It was fined a civil monetary penalty of $80,300. The fine was upheld and […]
Marmet Health Care Center v. Brown, 132 S. Ct. 1201 (2012). Marmet began as three seperate cases in West Virginia. In each case, a family member of a nursing home resident signed an admission agreement which included an arbitration clause buried within the text. The Plaintiffs argued the arbitration provision was void because it violated […]
Another Court Rules that NHRA is a toothless tiger (E.D. Mo.) Elgin James filed suit alleging that he developed bedsores due to nursing home negligence. Specifically, he alleged that the nursing home violated 42 C.F.R. § 483.25 which provides that a nursing home must prevent bedsores unless they are unavoidable. Following a line of cases […]
A filial responsibility law is one making relatives financially responsible for the care of another. Virtually every state requires parents to support minor children, but most states do not require anyone to support relatives who are over the age of 18. These laws are antiquated and can be traced back to the Elizabethan Poor Law […]
The following Stats and reports were released on June 1, 2021, by the National Center for Health Statistics: In recognition of Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month (June 2021), we present estimates from the 2015–2016 National Study of Long–Term Care Providers (NSLTCP). (Note that starting in January 2020, NSLTCP was renamed the National Post-acute and Long-term […]
The head-to-toe assessment in nursing is an important physical health assessment that nurses perform. In a nursing home, 42 CFR § 483.21 requires development of a baseline care plan within 48 hours of admission. A comprehensive care plan must be developed within 7 days. 42 CFR § 483.20 provides that a facility must make a […]
O.C.G.A. § 31-8-80. Short title This article shall be known as the “Long-term Care Facility Resident Abuse Reporting Act.” O.C.G.A. § 31-8-81. Definitions As used in this article, the term: (1) “Abuse” means any intentional or grossly negligent act or series of acts or intentional or grossly negligent omission to act which causes injury to […]
On April 26, 2021, in a letter to Senators Brown, Casey, Hassan, and Representative Dingell, the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) commented on the Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Access Act. Among other comments, NAELA supported the proposal’s expansion of the criteria for being medically eligible for Medicaid HCBS. One suggestion was including […]
Many people believe Medicare will pay for their long-term care costs. That’s not true. Medicare will pay for UP TO 100 days if you had a qualifying hospital stay, if you are discharged to a nursing home for skilled therapy, and then only while you’re receiving skilled therapy. See Center for Medicare Advocacy, Medicare Skilled […]
On April 12, 2021, John Oliver explained the industry behind nursing homes and assisted living facilities, and why long-term care needs fixing. Long-Term Care: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO) – April 12, 2021
On April 8, 2021, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services rescinded three Covid 19 waivers. They were: The emergency blanket waivers related to notification of Resident Room or Roommate changes, and Transfer and Discharge notification requirements; The emergency blanket waiver for certain care planning requirements for residents transferred or discharged for cohorting purposes. The […]
When is it time for day care or a nursing home?
“With the memory of the pandemic’s toll in nursing homes still raw, the COVID-19 relief law is offering states a generous funding boost for home- and community-based care as an alternative to institutionalizing disabled people.” However, funding for the current bill is temporary, “raising concerns it will have just fleeting impact…” For the full story, […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Resident fell at an assisted living facility; the fall caused a wrist fracture and broken ribs. She was transferred to a nursing home where she needed assistance for almost all personal care needs including using the toilet. Shortly after admission to the nursing home she was left unattended on the toilet even though a nurses […]
Summary judgment reversed. The dispositive issue was whether plaintiff’s claims were for ordinary negligence or medical malpractice, which was reviewed de novo. Two questions bear on that issue: (1) whether the claim pertains to an action occurring within the course of a professional relationship (undisputed in this case); and (2) whether the claim raises questions […]
Resident’s son (Miller) brought suit against physician (Cotter) as well as nursing home and three employees after his father’s death. Miller had signed admission papers including an arbitration agreement. The arbitration agreement, within the admission agreement, was separated from other language, was not a condition of admission and fact that it was an arbitration agreement […]
