Fines & Sanctions

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).

I-Team In-Depth

Antipsychotic Use On The Decline In State Nursing Homes

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Connecticut still ranks high among states in the use of antipsychotic drugs for elderly nursing home residents, but its rate of use has dropped 33 percent since 2011 – a bigger decline than the national average — new government data show. The data released in June by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), show that nursing home residents in Connecticut, many with dementia, are still more likely to be given antipsychotics than their counterparts in 31 other states. But the state’s usage has fallen in the last 4 ½ years at a greater rate than the average drop of 27 percent, and it is now about the same as the national average — 17.4 percent. That’s down from 26 percent in 2011. CMS has been working with states for the past five years to address the overuse of antipsychotic medications in nursing homes.

Fines & Sanctions

Nursing Homes Fined Following Lapses In Care

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Four nursing homes were recently fined by the state in connection with incidents in which residents were hospitalized, fell, broke a bone or were burned. On May 6, Sharon Health Care Center was fined $2,320 in connection with two residents who were burned when they were served hot food, the citation from the state Department of Public Health said. On Sept. 19, one resident was burned on the hand by hot pureed egg, the citation said. The resident was eating without help even though the care plan called for assistance during meals.

Fines & Sanctions

Five Nursing Homes Fined Following Two Deaths, Lapses In Care

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Five nursing homes have been fined at least $1,000 each by the state Department of Public Health in connection with lapses in care, residents who fell and broke bones and two residents who died. On Dec. 2, Water’s Edge Center of Health & Rehabilitation in Middletown was fined $1,160 in connection with a resident who died within days of falling out of bed at the home on Nov. 16. Though a care plan called for two staffers to turn the resident in bed, only one nurse’s aide was turning the resident when the fall occurred, DPH’s citation said.

Fines & Sanctions

GAO Report Questions Federal Oversight Of Nursing Homes

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In the last 10 years, the average number of serious deficiencies cited in nursing home inspections in Connecticut has dropped by 50 percent, while reported nurse staffing levels have risen, and reports of residents injured by lapses in care have declined, federal data show. But a new report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) questions whether those measures – many of them self-reported by nursing homes – accurately reflect improvements in nursing home care, or instead are due to deficiencies in reporting and oversight. The GAO notes that the average number of consumer complaints per nursing home actually has climbed in 30 states since 2005, including a 20 percent increase in Connecticut. The ability of the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to assess nursing home quality “is complicated by various issues with these data, which make it difficult to determine whether observed trends reflect actual changes in quality, data issues, or both,” the GAO said. The agency said that self-reporting of some of the data is among the problems that could undermine CMS’s much-touted Nursing Home Compare program, which rates nursing homes on a ‘five-star’ scale and is intended to help guide consumers’ decisions.

Fines & Sanctions

Nursing Homes Cited Following Lapses In Care

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State health officials have fined four Connecticut nursing homes following lapses in care that resulted in falls, injuries and a report of abusive comments. St. Joseph’s Center in Trumbull was fined $1,020 after a state Department of Public Health inspection found a resident who had been left unattended fell and suffered multiple facial fractures and a brain hemorrhage in October. According to the DPH, the resident suffered from Alzheimer’s dementia and had a history of falling. The resident was walking from the shower room with the help of a nursing assistant who heard another resident call for help.

Fines & Sanctions

Four Nursing Homes Fined, One Following A Resident’s Death

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Four Connecticut nursing homes have been fined by the state Department of Public Health following injuries and falls, including one fall that later resulted in a resident’s death. Avon Health Center was fined $1,090 because of two incidents. On March 14, a resident died six days after falling out of a mechanical lift and sling. The resident, who had several ailments including dementia, fell while being transferred from a wheelchair to a bed. The resident suffered brain hemorrhaging and a fracture at the base of the skull, and was treated at a local emergency room, according to the DPH citation.

Bridgeport
Home health care nurse Tish Allen.

State Lags In Key Home Health Care Measures

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As the Malloy administration seeks to expand home health care options and reduce reliance on nursing homes, a new national report shows Connecticut ranking in the bottom-quarter of states on several key indicators of home health quality, including the percentage of home care patients who show improvement in mobility and who avoid hospitalizations.