Med Board Fines Two Docs, Asks For Stiffer Penalty For New Haven Doctor

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The state Medical Examining Board Tuesday fined two doctors for inappropriately prescribing drugs and rejected a New Haven doctor’s $5,000 fine, saying it was too lenient. The board fined Dr. Jeffrey S. Miller of Torrington $5,000 and reprimanded him. A consent order said that for several years, he prescribed hydrocodone with acetaminophen for two of his wife’s relatives without having a doctor-patient relationship with them. The order also said that Miller permitted his wife to purchase the drugs in Connecticut and mail them to her relatives. Miller chose not to contest the allegations and told the board, “I admit the foolishness.”

The board fined Dr. Robert Dresdner of Wilton $3,000 and reprimanded him for inappropriately prescribing narcotics to two patients without adequately examining them or documenting their treatment in 2014.

More about: Fines & Sanctions, Connecticut Medical Examining Board, Dr. Francesco Lupis, Dr. Jeffrey S. Miller, Dr. Rey Ramos, Dr. Robert Dresdner

Rest Home Ordered To Hire Consultant After Reports Of Residents Using Marijuana, Alcohol

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The state has ordered a Litchfield rest home to hire an independent consultant after finding various violations, including alcohol use and suspected marijuana use among residents. In a consent order signed Sept. 12, the state Department of Public Health (DPH) said Fernwood Rest Home Inc. has to hire an independent contractor, pre-approved by the department, within two weeks of the order’s signing. The contractor must be a licensed nursing home administrator and will work to ensure resident safety and legal compliance at the facility, according to the order. The contractor also will assess the ability and skill set of the “person in charge” at Fernwood, monitor corrective actions the facility has agreed to take, and submit written reports weekly to DPH.

More about: Fines & Sanctions, Connecticut Department of Public Health, Fernood Rest Home Inc., Karyn Adkins Cosgrove

Nursing Homes Fined After Resident’s Death, Care Lapses

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State health officials have fined five nursing homes at least $1,500 each in connection with residents who were abused or injured and one who died in July after being outside in sweltering heat for hours. On Aug. 10, Gardner Heights Health Care Center in Shelton was fined $3,000 in connection with a resident who died after being outside in a garden for more than three hours on July 27 in 95-degree weather, according to the state Department of Public Health (DPH) citation. The resident, who frequently sat in the garden, was in good condition at 2:30 p.m. that day but at 5 p.m., was found to be unresponsive and died about 40 minutes later, the citation said. A review of video at the home could not substantiate that the resident had been checked by staff between 2:30 and 5 p.m., the citation said.

More about: Fines & Sanctions, Ann Collette, Apple Rehabilitation, Connecticut Department of Public Health, Gardner Heights Health Care Center, nursing home fines, Nursing Homes, Orchard Grove Specialty Care Center

State Disciplines Five Nurses For Misconduct

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The state Board of Examiners for Nursing today disciplined five nurses for misconduct, including four whose cases involved drugs or alcohol. After a hearing today, the board revoked the license of Danielle Dragon, a licensed practical nurse from Bristol, who was accused of crushing a pill that she said was Oxycodone but which was tested and found to be Tylenol. In April, the board had placed her license on probation for one year, and earlier this month, it had suspended her license while she awaited the hearing because, records show, she has failed to submit to drug tests. Dragon did not attend the hearing, so the board deemed that she had admitted to the charges against her. The board voted to suspend the license of Cherish Ostrosky, a registered nurse from Oxford, who was arrested during a traffic stop in Monroe May 19, record show.

More about: Fines & Sanctions, Cherish Ostrosky, Connecticut Board of Nursing Examiners, Danielle Dragon, Linda M. Swanson, Megan Surprenant, Michelle Murphy, Suboxone

Two Nursing Homes Fined Following Resident’s Injury, Medication Error

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State health officials fined two nursing homes following incidents in which residents were injured and suffered complications after doctors’ orders were not followed. Apple Rehabilitation of Middletown was fined $1,635 by the state Department of Public Health (DPH) following an incident December in which a resident chewed an index finger until bone was exposed. The resident had osteoporosis and dementia, and a care plan noted that the resident had a habit of chewing the right index finger, according to DPH. On Nov. 30, 2015, a physician directed staff to keep the resident’s right hand covered with a sock to prevent chewing.

More about: Fines & Sanctions, Apple Rehabilitation of Middletown, health care, nursing home fines, Nursing Homes, Sheridan Woods Health Center Center

State Disciplines Seven Nurses, Reinstates Two Licenses

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The state Board of Examiners for Nursing disciplined seven nurses Wednesday and reinstated the licenses of two nurses who had histories of drug abuse. The board reinstated the license of Sara Kaiser of Cromwell, a licensed practical nurse whose license was revoked in 2010 because of her abuse of heroin and morphine in 2009. In 2009, the board had placed her license on probation for four years after she admitted stealing Seroquel, a drug used to treat mood disorders, while working at the Elm Hill Nursing Center in Rocky Hill in 2007, records show. State records show she also admitted failing to accurately document medical records and abusing heroin and cocaine from 2002 to 2007. At a hearing in July, Kaiser presented testimony on her sobriety and that she was safe to practice as a nurse.

More about: Fines & Sanctions, Adam Burr, Arlene Dumais, Connecticut Board of Examiners for Nursing, Danielle Dragon, health care, Jasmine Rivera Gonzalez, Judy Ruggiero

Three Nursing Homes Fined Following Falls, Medication Error

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Three nursing homes have been fined more than $1,500 each by the state Department of Public Health in connection with residents who fell, broke bones or received the wrong medication. On June 21, Pilgrim Manor of Cromwell was fined $1,930 in connection with three residents who were hospitalized with injuries. One resident suffered a broken hip while being moved that required hospitalization on Dec. 28, DPH’s citation said. The state found that the home failed to complete a thorough assessment when the resident complained of pain and could not bear weight on a leg.

More about: Fines & Sanctions, nursing home fines, Nursing Homes, Pilgrim Manor, The Summit at Plantsville, Woodlake At Tolland Rehabilitation & Nursing Center

Nursing Homes Fined After Resident’s Death, Undocumented Injuries

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The state has fined an Avon nursing home where a resident died and a Bristol home where staff did not document how 10 residents suffered a total of 47 injuries. In all, four nursing homes were recently fined by the state Department of Public Health (DPH) for various violations. Apple Rehab Avon received two fines, totally $5,625, connected to a March incident in which a resident died and a nurse misinterpreted the medical file to contain a Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) Order, according to documents. In the first citation, the facility was fined $3,000. According to the citation, on Feb.

More about: Fines & Sanctions, Apple Rehab Avon, Connecticut Department of Public Health, Countryside Manor, Harrington Court, New London Rehabilitation and Care of Waterford, nursing home citations, Nursing Homes

State Fines Two Nursing Homes

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The state has fined two nursing homes in connection with staff failing to follow notification procedures for changes in residents’ conditions and for a resident who fell and broke a bone. Evergreen Health Care Center in Stafford Springs received two citations and fines, totaling $3,890. In one citation, Evergreen Health was fined $2,360 for failure to follow facility procedures and notify a physician on condition changes of two residents. On March 1, a resident with heart failure, anxiety and dementia complained of seeing spots out of the left eye. A neurological assessment was done, which produced normal results, but the resident continued to complain of a sight problem, according to the state Department of Public Health (DPH).

More about: Fines & Sanctions, Connecticut Department of Public Health, Evergreen Health Care Center, health care, Nancy Luddy, nursing home fines, Nursing Homes, Parkway Pavilion Health & Rehabilitation Center

Nonprofit Obamacare Insurer Going Out Of Business

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HealthyCT, the state’s nonprofit health insurer on the exchange, will no longer offer individual health insurance plans after the group was placed under an order of supervision due to “hazardous financial standing” Monday. The order, issued by the state Department of Insurance, means that about 10 percent of Connecticut residents with health insurance policies bought through Obamacare will have to switch companies for next year — about 13,000 customers. To read the Courant’s report by Mara Lee click here.

More about: Fines & Sanctions, HealthyCT