I have recently found myself visiting a fellow church member in Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation. I have not been inside the building since Mom died.
It turns out that the person I have been visiting, is in the same room and same bed that my Mother died in. Walking down that hallway again was the most difficult thing I've done in a while. Not much has changed in the last two and a half years. Everything looks the same as it did in 2011. As I entered the room for the first time since then, I was shocked at how small it was. There are two beds, two chairs, and two small night stands. If you are sitting in one of the chairs, you are no more than a foot away from the other chair. There is the same little 13 inch tv at the foot of the bed.
I have been visiting my friend for three weeks now, and it is apparent that there are many decent people working there. The problem is the same as when Mom was there, they just don't have enough help to take care of the residents. On two separate occasions, I've heard them tell patients that they were not going to get their shower till the next day. The reason given is that they ran out of time.
For the most part the staff seems friendly, and compassionate There are times when the nurses just don't have time to do much of anything. There is one CNA, that seems to never stop running. I visited on the weekend, and there were hardly any staff on the hallway. If an emergency would happen on the weekend, it would be catastrophic.
The problem in nursing and rehabilitation centers, is the owners taking all the money out at the cost of quality of care. They own airplanes, yachts and belong to the local country clubs. They want for nothing, while the residents of their homes simply want a shower, a haircut or a decent meal served hot. The owners are living in expensive lake houses , and in gated communities while the people paying the bills are living in tiny rooms with particle board furniture.
It is obvious that these places make lots of money for the owners. At the sacrifice of a small percentage of the profits , they could easily provide better care for the residents. That seems to be the least of their concerns. They are to busy spending any extra money on purchasing more properties. If they are not making money, why are they so eager to buy more nursing homes?
On one of my recent visits, the NCDHSR was doing a complaint investigation. There was a sign on the front door announcing the investigation dates. This means that each employee knows that they are being inspected when they walk in the door. Does the NCDHSR think that telling them they are being inspected , will not affect their performance that day? Would you violate the regulations if you were being watched? That would be like running a stop sign with a police car on each corner of the street!
I did notice some things were different on the day of the inspection. I saw the nurses use a lift to get a patient out of bed. During Mom's stay I never even saw a lift. I also noticed that the dining room had been full of residents every day I had been there, on the day of the inspection it was empty. I'm guessing that they would leave the residents in the dining room till they had cleaned the rooms.
Make no mistake about it, the nursing home business is big money. The owners are very wealthy and could care less about the quality of care their homes provide. There is a shortage of beds, Medicare.gov ratings are inaccurate, and it is almost impossible to determine the care you can expect from any particular home. The system is not working and needs to be fixed. All it takes is people willing to stand up for those who cant. If you are willing to join the cause, please contact me at jaemark7@bellsouth.net
Friday, March 28, 2014
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Fraud or just good old fashioned corruption?
When I started writing this blog, it was about corruption in the NCDHHS . Sadly corruption is so prevalent in our society today that we just tolerate it. Politicians are taking money from large corporations to get elected. If anyone believes these people aren't influenced by those campaign contributions, wake up!
In our political system, it would be hard to find anyone who is not influenced by corporate money. Politicians don't even try to act like they care about what the people want.
I have written several politicians and requested specific actions. The responses I've received were simply form letters that are generated by a computer. The letters always applaud concerned citizens who get involved. Then they go on to tell you all the great things the politicians have done, and all the committees they are on. Then they go on to say if you have any more concerns please feel free to contact them. All of this without ever addressing the reason that you wrote them in the first place.
I have been lucky enough to receive some assistance from two Congressmen. The problem is that there are so many agencies and government contractors involved, none of them seem to know who does what. There is a company called NCI Advancemed, they are the " zone program integrity contractor " for Medicare in this region. I received a letter from them last year stating that they had reviewed my complaint and taken appropriate action. Not knowing who they were at the time, I called them and asked what actions had been taken. I spoke to a Shannon Stinedurf, in Ohio, who told me they had not taken any action against anyone mentioned in my complaint!
If that isn't bad enough, my brother and I both filed through the freedom of information act for the results of their investigation. We both received a response stating that there are no records matching what we asked for. That means that they didn't actually do an investigation! That also means that our taxes are going to pay NCI Advancemed to investigate. All they apparently do is to write letters saying they have done so, and collect a paycheck. The new face of welfare recipients seems to be government contractors.
We have gotten the same runaround from the CMS, nobody seems to be able to say what they did in response to our complaints. They also seem to have a problem locating any records from any investigations they supposedly conducted.
Then you have the NCDHHS, the worst of all. They will take your complaint willingly enough, but don't count on them actually finding anything. The common reply from them is " no discrepancies found " . They seem to find plenty of issues when they do their recertification, but never when it's a complaint. I have a copy of their investigation of my complaint, and it is a joke. There are important statements made by the investigators, with no supporting documents. I have written Beverley Speroff, the survey section chief for the State, asking for a meeting to discuss the facts, and was denied.
They are willing to let Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation get away with anything. They have no intention of actually doing an investigation.
Is there corruption here, or just a lack of concern for how our elderly are treated. Either way, these people have to be stopped. I could use any help I can get, whether from employees, patients or family members. Lots of people have told me stories, I need them to tell their stories to others. If it takes me the rest of my life, I will not stop trying to help. Both of my parents are gone, but others are still suffering at the hands of these thieves.
In our political system, it would be hard to find anyone who is not influenced by corporate money. Politicians don't even try to act like they care about what the people want.
I have written several politicians and requested specific actions. The responses I've received were simply form letters that are generated by a computer. The letters always applaud concerned citizens who get involved. Then they go on to tell you all the great things the politicians have done, and all the committees they are on. Then they go on to say if you have any more concerns please feel free to contact them. All of this without ever addressing the reason that you wrote them in the first place.
I have been lucky enough to receive some assistance from two Congressmen. The problem is that there are so many agencies and government contractors involved, none of them seem to know who does what. There is a company called NCI Advancemed, they are the " zone program integrity contractor " for Medicare in this region. I received a letter from them last year stating that they had reviewed my complaint and taken appropriate action. Not knowing who they were at the time, I called them and asked what actions had been taken. I spoke to a Shannon Stinedurf, in Ohio, who told me they had not taken any action against anyone mentioned in my complaint!
If that isn't bad enough, my brother and I both filed through the freedom of information act for the results of their investigation. We both received a response stating that there are no records matching what we asked for. That means that they didn't actually do an investigation! That also means that our taxes are going to pay NCI Advancemed to investigate. All they apparently do is to write letters saying they have done so, and collect a paycheck. The new face of welfare recipients seems to be government contractors.
We have gotten the same runaround from the CMS, nobody seems to be able to say what they did in response to our complaints. They also seem to have a problem locating any records from any investigations they supposedly conducted.
Then you have the NCDHHS, the worst of all. They will take your complaint willingly enough, but don't count on them actually finding anything. The common reply from them is " no discrepancies found " . They seem to find plenty of issues when they do their recertification, but never when it's a complaint. I have a copy of their investigation of my complaint, and it is a joke. There are important statements made by the investigators, with no supporting documents. I have written Beverley Speroff, the survey section chief for the State, asking for a meeting to discuss the facts, and was denied.
They are willing to let Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation get away with anything. They have no intention of actually doing an investigation.
Is there corruption here, or just a lack of concern for how our elderly are treated. Either way, these people have to be stopped. I could use any help I can get, whether from employees, patients or family members. Lots of people have told me stories, I need them to tell their stories to others. If it takes me the rest of my life, I will not stop trying to help. Both of my parents are gone, but others are still suffering at the hands of these thieves.
Saturday, March 8, 2014
Local doctors to buy care center!!! Somebodys pants are on fire!
Dr. Larry Joe Russell, in a newspaper article from the Hendersonville Times News " What we've got is a group of doc's who basically have a local interest in Henderson County. "
The article ran in the Hendersonville Times News on November 30, 2007. Written by Scott Parrott, it was titled " Doctors bid $8.45 million for center. "
According to the article, Hendersonville Physicians and Associates LLC had the highest of fourteen bids. The article names, Dr. Larry Loe Russell, Dr. Amal Das, Dr. David Mackel, Dr. Stuart Glassman, Dr. Stephen Lackey, Linda Brooks FNP, Ed Baber a physicans assistant and his father Larry Baber, owner of Whitly Drugs. All owners of Hendersonville physicians and Associates.
Then it goes on, "The local connection gives the group a better understanding of the needs of the employees, clients, and families at the care center he said. " Another section states something about having an ownership that literally shops at Wal-Mart and Ingles, right alongside employees and families that have loved ones at the facility. "We're more accessible, we're right here, and I think that gives us a better feel for the concerns of the community. " Sounds great for those of us that shop at Ingles and Wal-Mart, now we get to shop along side this group. Makes it sound wonderful for Henderson County, a local connection!
The second part of the story gets interesting, they plan on leasing the building to Ardent Health and Rehabilitation. Chris Sprenger and Mike DeLoach of Ardent , would operate the facility. Turns out they are also owners of Hendersonville Physicians and Associates. The article keeps on going back to the "local connection", and keeping it in the community.
Ardent also operates Beystone Health and Rehabilitation in Fletcher, and Sanford Health and Rehabilitation southwest of Raleigh. Upon further research, it appears they are also owners of Beystone. Chris Sprenger and Mike DeLoach are also managing partners of Beystone, Sanford, and Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation. These guys arent happy getting just one piece of the pie, they want the whole thing.
Then the real truth starts coming out further down the page. " Not being bound to a hospital, we're able to run ( the center ) like all the other facilities are run in the nation, " Russell said. Wait a minute Dr. Russell, I thought the whole thing was the " local " connection. Why do you want to run the place like all the other facilities in the Country. In the ads for Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation, they say their passion makes the difference. Is that the passion, that all the other facilities in the nation have, or is that the "local" passion?
The board of directors at Pardee, and the Henderson County Board of Commissioners had to sign off on the deal. What a grand show they were all putting on. Obviously the residents of Henderson County were not being told the whole truth. The well being of the residents, and the quality of care were the least important factors in determining the buyer. Money as usual was the root of the evil in this case.
I spoke personally to one of the other bidders, they said that being owned by a hospital would require a definate number of nurses and cna's. Being a private entity would not require any certain number of staff. The hospital would have to put the money back into providing quality care. A private owner just takes the money, and puts it in their pocket. The other bidder I spoke to stated that he felt that Pardee Hospital had already decided who would get the bid before the bids were placed. I'm pretty sure that the County Commissioners and the Hospital Board benefitted in some way.
The point is that Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation is run by a company that intends to take as much profit as possible. The care of the residents is secondary to the profits. The patient will always get the short end of the stick. Shame on Pardee Hospital and the Henderson County Commissioners!
Here is a link to the company that actually took this place over from Pardee. If I was able to get this information, I'm sure the Pardee Hospital Board and the County Commissioners could have found it. The problem is all they saw was the money, the residents of Henderson County got hustled by the Commissioners and Pardee Hospital Board.
http://www.sprengerhealthcare.com/communities/map/
Notice they dont list any properties in North Carolina, but there was an article in the Lorraine County News that says that Sprenger Healthcare was proud to announce the aquisition of two new properties, Hendersonville Health and rehabilitation, and Stonecreek Health and Rehabilitation in Asheville. So much for the local connection, do they have Ingles in Ohio?
The article ran in the Hendersonville Times News on November 30, 2007. Written by Scott Parrott, it was titled " Doctors bid $8.45 million for center. "
According to the article, Hendersonville Physicians and Associates LLC had the highest of fourteen bids. The article names, Dr. Larry Loe Russell, Dr. Amal Das, Dr. David Mackel, Dr. Stuart Glassman, Dr. Stephen Lackey, Linda Brooks FNP, Ed Baber a physicans assistant and his father Larry Baber, owner of Whitly Drugs. All owners of Hendersonville physicians and Associates.
Then it goes on, "The local connection gives the group a better understanding of the needs of the employees, clients, and families at the care center he said. " Another section states something about having an ownership that literally shops at Wal-Mart and Ingles, right alongside employees and families that have loved ones at the facility. "We're more accessible, we're right here, and I think that gives us a better feel for the concerns of the community. " Sounds great for those of us that shop at Ingles and Wal-Mart, now we get to shop along side this group. Makes it sound wonderful for Henderson County, a local connection!
The second part of the story gets interesting, they plan on leasing the building to Ardent Health and Rehabilitation. Chris Sprenger and Mike DeLoach of Ardent , would operate the facility. Turns out they are also owners of Hendersonville Physicians and Associates. The article keeps on going back to the "local connection", and keeping it in the community.
Ardent also operates Beystone Health and Rehabilitation in Fletcher, and Sanford Health and Rehabilitation southwest of Raleigh. Upon further research, it appears they are also owners of Beystone. Chris Sprenger and Mike DeLoach are also managing partners of Beystone, Sanford, and Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation. These guys arent happy getting just one piece of the pie, they want the whole thing.
Then the real truth starts coming out further down the page. " Not being bound to a hospital, we're able to run ( the center ) like all the other facilities are run in the nation, " Russell said. Wait a minute Dr. Russell, I thought the whole thing was the " local " connection. Why do you want to run the place like all the other facilities in the Country. In the ads for Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation, they say their passion makes the difference. Is that the passion, that all the other facilities in the nation have, or is that the "local" passion?
The board of directors at Pardee, and the Henderson County Board of Commissioners had to sign off on the deal. What a grand show they were all putting on. Obviously the residents of Henderson County were not being told the whole truth. The well being of the residents, and the quality of care were the least important factors in determining the buyer. Money as usual was the root of the evil in this case.
I spoke personally to one of the other bidders, they said that being owned by a hospital would require a definate number of nurses and cna's. Being a private entity would not require any certain number of staff. The hospital would have to put the money back into providing quality care. A private owner just takes the money, and puts it in their pocket. The other bidder I spoke to stated that he felt that Pardee Hospital had already decided who would get the bid before the bids were placed. I'm pretty sure that the County Commissioners and the Hospital Board benefitted in some way.
The point is that Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation is run by a company that intends to take as much profit as possible. The care of the residents is secondary to the profits. The patient will always get the short end of the stick. Shame on Pardee Hospital and the Henderson County Commissioners!
Here is a link to the company that actually took this place over from Pardee. If I was able to get this information, I'm sure the Pardee Hospital Board and the County Commissioners could have found it. The problem is all they saw was the money, the residents of Henderson County got hustled by the Commissioners and Pardee Hospital Board.
http://www.sprengerhealthcare.com/communities/map/
Notice they dont list any properties in North Carolina, but there was an article in the Lorraine County News that says that Sprenger Healthcare was proud to announce the aquisition of two new properties, Hendersonville Health and rehabilitation, and Stonecreek Health and Rehabilitation in Asheville. So much for the local connection, do they have Ingles in Ohio?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)