After the operator of a nursing home was found guilty last week of abusing an elderly resident, the facility declared bankruptcy. The jury returned the verdict that would have led to millions in damages, but that is when the attorney for the facility advised the court they had filed bankruptcy. The attorney for the plaintiff claims that the facility tried to stave off a lawsuit by repeatedly pronouncing that they were uninsured.

The Federal Attorney General’s Office has recently reached a settlement in a case involving Medicare reimbursement claims for specialized bed surfaces. The special beds are specifically meant for people with bed sores or pressure ulcers (aka decubitus ulcers). The settlement comes after federal investigators concluded that a company named Hill-Rom, which supplies the special mattresses and beds, submitted Medicare claims over a period of 8 years for patients who did not need the devices, who wer…

Police in one state are trying to find a woman who has been impersonating a nurse to gain access to assisted living facilities. According to investigators, the woman has used that access to steal from residents, taking jewelry, cash, and credit cards. The string of thefts began in mid-August.

The Department of Health in one state is seeking to revoke the license of an assisted living facility, alleging it has failed to meet the standards of care and jeopardized the welfare of its residents. Two recent inspections at the facility revealed more than a dozen violations, four of which involved a male resident who later died in his room, according to state inspectors. The company that owns the facility brought in new leadership to the facility to address the state’s allegations.

According to a recent audit the Department of Health in one state has estimated it overpaid nursing homes by an estimated $42 million in Medicaid reimbursements over a period of 44-months.  The state says that the over-payments have occurred because many care providers are not collecting money from their clients’ income sources as required, and local governments are failing to enforce that requirement. Localities are responsible to determine the Net Available Monthly Income of Medicaid reci…

The administrator of one nursing home has acknowledged she did not follow state requirements to check whether cancer-causing asbestos was present in 50-year-old floor tiles before workers removed them from a basement laundry room. The lack of adherence to state regulations has prompted an investigation by the Department of Public Health. Administrator said late last week she was unaware that the tiles to be removed contained asbestos until after they were removed.