It's amazing the things that you can find at the courthouse. Today I went to the Henderson County N.C. courthouse, to the register of deeds office. I went to the records room and began my research. I decided as the new year begins, to find out as much as I can about Dr. Larry Joe Russell and Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation. I am basically starting all over again, with a new determination. It all began at Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation, so that was today's focus.
My research today was in the book of death certificates, from November 1, 2011 to December 30, 2011, this would contain Mom's death certificate. In those two months, there were thirteen deaths listed at Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation. If you include Mom, that would be fourteen. That seems like a lot of deaths for a Health and Rehabilitation facility. Especially one run by SanStone Health and Rehabilitation, their commercials say "Our passion makes the difference". I guess they must be passionate about letting patients die!
Next I looked at how many death certificates were signed by Dr. Larry Joe Russell, Mom's supposed doctor during her stay at Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation. Turns out he has passion, similar to SanStone. Dr. Larry Joe Russell signed thirty three death certificates in the same two months. That's roughly one every other day! Of those thirty three, seven were at Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation, eight if you count Mom. Out of Dr. Russell's share of death certificates, eight of them died from a failure to thrive.
This is alarming to me, and I am of the opinion, that this should be alarming to someone else. I have shared similar information with the NCDHHS, and other government and law enforcement agencies. Not one seemed to have a problem, or even seemed concerned enough to look.
I will continue to share the statistics from the death certificates, until I am able to attract enough attention. I would ask that if this seems alarming to you, that you comment on this blog.
Monday, December 30, 2013
Friday, December 20, 2013
Holiday memories, how can you not do something!!
When you lose someone, it is difficult during the holidays. Everything you do brings back memories of the person you lost. A certain Christmas carol, buying a tree, a special gift , an ornament on the tree, a specific holiday dish, and in my case ,especially eggnog.
It has been over two years since Mom died. During that time I cant think of one day I didn't think about her. Rather than forget her, and go on with my life, I have spent countless hours, going over her medical records. My brother and I spend hours almost every day talking about what is wrong with the system, and how it could be fixed. My Mom did not die for nothing, she died so that we would fight for the living, that cant fight for themselves.
I have had discussions about the lack of care in nursing homes, with almost anyone who would talk about it . I have heard stories that would make your skin crawl. I have been on the NCDHHS website, and the Medicare.gov website, it's hard to believe what they allow to happen.
The most disheartening thing of all, is the family members are just willing to let it happen. Although some of the people we have spoken with, have information that could help, they will not come forward. We have reached out to almost any agency or person that would listen, and they all say the same thing. It takes more than the death of one elderly person, to get anything done about it. I have an opportunity now, to get the necessary attention from some very important people. I will go to them with what I have concerning my Mom. I hope it is enough to get them to look at what is happening. I am certain, that if I had more people willing to act, we could make things better for those still suffering in nursing homes. I am asking anyone who reads this, who has any information that could help, to come forward .
I personally know at least two people who are currently going through issues with nursing homes. I know they have knowledge, and can prove that their loved ones are not being cared for. I cant not understand how they can stay silent. Their parents, or a family member, are suffering terrible things at the hands of these people, yet they wont help. I can only hope that when their time comes, someone will care enough to help them.
Old people die, that is the mantra of the nursing home owners and managers. They leave out how they die, some from being dropped, given the wrong medication, or just because there was not enough staff to help. They simply" fail to thrive " or suffer from an" acute coronary arrhythmia ". No one ever checks the doctors cause of death, simply because "old people die".
I don't know about anyone else, but I don't have a whole lot of faith in doctors. I cant tell you how many times I have avoided tragedy by asking the right questions, or questioning something the doctor was doing. Many times the doctors depend on some low level office clerk, to catch potential life threatening issues. That's simply not good enough. If you are a doctor and you are getting paid, do your job. Take the time to actually examine the patient, and get familiar with their medical history. Make sure that there are no potential medication reactions. If you have a patient that had there skull sawed open, expect problems, especially if they fall.
There is one doctor in Hendersonville North Carolina, that definitely has to many patients. Dr. Larry Joe Russell,he is the medical director at The Laurels of Hendersonville, and also has an office, where he sees patients. Dr. Russell is also the doctor at all the nursing homes in Henderson Count NC. At least the ones that accept Medicare and Medicaid. Dr. Russell is also the registered agent for several other medical practices in Henderson County. Dr. Russell is also partners with the owners of SanStone Health and Rehabilitation.
How could one doctor keep up with all of those patients? Simple, doctor Russell has fourteen LPN's and one PA. My guess is that he never actually "sees" a patient. Although he was supposed to be Mom's doctor, the records prove that he never even saw her. How can a doctor, that has not even seen a patient, have the knowledge to sign the death certificate?
I am using Dr. Larry Joe Russell as an example, simply because I have personal knowledge about him from Moms medical records. The same goes for Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation, personal experience. Everything I have read, and my personal experience, indicates that this is the normal.
If you wish to share any information, email me at jaemark7@bellsouth.net, I will answer you promptly, and will keep any information in strict confidence, if you desire. I just need to know more about how they operate, in order to stop them. It takes more than one dead elderly person to get attention.
Merry Christmas, and if you still have your parents and grandparents, love and hold them, enjoy them while you have them. You never know when they may end up in the hands of a Dr. Russell, or Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation of their own.
It has been over two years since Mom died. During that time I cant think of one day I didn't think about her. Rather than forget her, and go on with my life, I have spent countless hours, going over her medical records. My brother and I spend hours almost every day talking about what is wrong with the system, and how it could be fixed. My Mom did not die for nothing, she died so that we would fight for the living, that cant fight for themselves.
I have had discussions about the lack of care in nursing homes, with almost anyone who would talk about it . I have heard stories that would make your skin crawl. I have been on the NCDHHS website, and the Medicare.gov website, it's hard to believe what they allow to happen.
The most disheartening thing of all, is the family members are just willing to let it happen. Although some of the people we have spoken with, have information that could help, they will not come forward. We have reached out to almost any agency or person that would listen, and they all say the same thing. It takes more than the death of one elderly person, to get anything done about it. I have an opportunity now, to get the necessary attention from some very important people. I will go to them with what I have concerning my Mom. I hope it is enough to get them to look at what is happening. I am certain, that if I had more people willing to act, we could make things better for those still suffering in nursing homes. I am asking anyone who reads this, who has any information that could help, to come forward .
I personally know at least two people who are currently going through issues with nursing homes. I know they have knowledge, and can prove that their loved ones are not being cared for. I cant not understand how they can stay silent. Their parents, or a family member, are suffering terrible things at the hands of these people, yet they wont help. I can only hope that when their time comes, someone will care enough to help them.
Old people die, that is the mantra of the nursing home owners and managers. They leave out how they die, some from being dropped, given the wrong medication, or just because there was not enough staff to help. They simply" fail to thrive " or suffer from an" acute coronary arrhythmia ". No one ever checks the doctors cause of death, simply because "old people die".
I don't know about anyone else, but I don't have a whole lot of faith in doctors. I cant tell you how many times I have avoided tragedy by asking the right questions, or questioning something the doctor was doing. Many times the doctors depend on some low level office clerk, to catch potential life threatening issues. That's simply not good enough. If you are a doctor and you are getting paid, do your job. Take the time to actually examine the patient, and get familiar with their medical history. Make sure that there are no potential medication reactions. If you have a patient that had there skull sawed open, expect problems, especially if they fall.
There is one doctor in Hendersonville North Carolina, that definitely has to many patients. Dr. Larry Joe Russell,he is the medical director at The Laurels of Hendersonville, and also has an office, where he sees patients. Dr. Russell is also the doctor at all the nursing homes in Henderson Count NC. At least the ones that accept Medicare and Medicaid. Dr. Russell is also the registered agent for several other medical practices in Henderson County. Dr. Russell is also partners with the owners of SanStone Health and Rehabilitation.
How could one doctor keep up with all of those patients? Simple, doctor Russell has fourteen LPN's and one PA. My guess is that he never actually "sees" a patient. Although he was supposed to be Mom's doctor, the records prove that he never even saw her. How can a doctor, that has not even seen a patient, have the knowledge to sign the death certificate?
I am using Dr. Larry Joe Russell as an example, simply because I have personal knowledge about him from Moms medical records. The same goes for Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation, personal experience. Everything I have read, and my personal experience, indicates that this is the normal.
If you wish to share any information, email me at jaemark7@bellsouth.net, I will answer you promptly, and will keep any information in strict confidence, if you desire. I just need to know more about how they operate, in order to stop them. It takes more than one dead elderly person to get attention.
Merry Christmas, and if you still have your parents and grandparents, love and hold them, enjoy them while you have them. You never know when they may end up in the hands of a Dr. Russell, or Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation of their own.
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
What does CMS do, and who is NCI Advancemed?
In my last post I made reference to Government managed health care. I am specifically focusing on Medicare. I have documented proof of fraudulent billing, by Medicare providers. Now I will explain how difficult it is to get someone to do something about it. This is money that comes from taxpayers, and is administered by the government.
First a complaint was filed with the NCDHHS, the agency that licenses nursing homes that accept Medicare. Although we presented them with documented proof of over billing for doctor visits, pharmaceutical drugs, and quality of care, they found nothing wrong. The NCDHHS is the local agency that oversees the regulation of federal money for the DHHS. They basically ignored the fact that these things were happening, even though we have proof. We were told by Gail Maloney, the Western regional director of the NCDHHS, that they had the final say on these issues. Well technically they don't, but all the other agency's base their decisions on the findings of the NCDHHS.
Next let me tell you about CMS, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. I was directed to them through Congressman Heath Shulers office. Congressman Shulers office contacted them on my behalf. I received a letter in August of 2021, saying how seriously they take Medicare fraud. The letter states that they will be contacting me directly for more information. I never heard from them so I contacted them directly. I was able to read the name and phone number although it was blacked out on the letter to Heath Shulers office. I spoke to Alfreda Walker, who told me that someone in her office was investigating the fraud issue. Ms.Walker also told me that the other issues were being investigated by a someone else.
I never heard from them till I contacted Congressman Shulers office in November 2012.They were closing their office, but they contacted CMS on my behalf. In December of 2012, I received a letter from a company called NCI Advancemed. The letter said that they had investigated my complaint and appropriate action had been taken. I called them and asked, who they were , and what action had been taken. Their response was that they took no action, they found no issues. I asked them why they never contacted me for copies of the bills, or other information. I got the typical government runaround, without ever getting a real answer. Turns out they are a private contractor, overseeing the integrity of the Medicare program! They had gotten my information from the NCDMA, from a complaint I filed with the NC Medical Board.
Turns out Ms. Walker from the CMS, had done absolutely nothing to investigate my complaint, although she had indicated that she had. What exactly happened here, I cant even explain. Who, if anybody, actually did anything? This is how the government regulates the taxpayer money paid to Medicare providers.
My brother and I both contacted NCI Advancemed, to question their results. Turns out they didn't actually have any of the information I had provided. My brother then put together a packet of information and sent it directly to them. It took about a week or maybe two for them to determine that they could not see any fraud. They did however find something, but they were not at liberty to discuss that with us. My brother is waiting for information from the freedom of information act, as I write. They are not quite so free with information, and they are definately in no hurry.
This is where we are right now, waiting. Mom died two years ago in November, and we are still waiting. I guess you can sense my opoinion of Government, and government contractor, regulated health care.
First a complaint was filed with the NCDHHS, the agency that licenses nursing homes that accept Medicare. Although we presented them with documented proof of over billing for doctor visits, pharmaceutical drugs, and quality of care, they found nothing wrong. The NCDHHS is the local agency that oversees the regulation of federal money for the DHHS. They basically ignored the fact that these things were happening, even though we have proof. We were told by Gail Maloney, the Western regional director of the NCDHHS, that they had the final say on these issues. Well technically they don't, but all the other agency's base their decisions on the findings of the NCDHHS.
Next let me tell you about CMS, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. I was directed to them through Congressman Heath Shulers office. Congressman Shulers office contacted them on my behalf. I received a letter in August of 2021, saying how seriously they take Medicare fraud. The letter states that they will be contacting me directly for more information. I never heard from them so I contacted them directly. I was able to read the name and phone number although it was blacked out on the letter to Heath Shulers office. I spoke to Alfreda Walker, who told me that someone in her office was investigating the fraud issue. Ms.Walker also told me that the other issues were being investigated by a someone else.
I never heard from them till I contacted Congressman Shulers office in November 2012.They were closing their office, but they contacted CMS on my behalf. In December of 2012, I received a letter from a company called NCI Advancemed. The letter said that they had investigated my complaint and appropriate action had been taken. I called them and asked, who they were , and what action had been taken. Their response was that they took no action, they found no issues. I asked them why they never contacted me for copies of the bills, or other information. I got the typical government runaround, without ever getting a real answer. Turns out they are a private contractor, overseeing the integrity of the Medicare program! They had gotten my information from the NCDMA, from a complaint I filed with the NC Medical Board.
Turns out Ms. Walker from the CMS, had done absolutely nothing to investigate my complaint, although she had indicated that she had. What exactly happened here, I cant even explain. Who, if anybody, actually did anything? This is how the government regulates the taxpayer money paid to Medicare providers.
My brother and I both contacted NCI Advancemed, to question their results. Turns out they didn't actually have any of the information I had provided. My brother then put together a packet of information and sent it directly to them. It took about a week or maybe two for them to determine that they could not see any fraud. They did however find something, but they were not at liberty to discuss that with us. My brother is waiting for information from the freedom of information act, as I write. They are not quite so free with information, and they are definately in no hurry.
This is where we are right now, waiting. Mom died two years ago in November, and we are still waiting. I guess you can sense my opoinion of Government, and government contractor, regulated health care.
Friday, December 6, 2013
Government managed health care , what a joke!
This blog is intended to call attention to the way our government fails miserably, to enforce regulations concerning health care . This is some scary stuff considering the situation with Obamacare. Medicare is administered by the government, and almost entirely managed by private contractors. I have reported Medicare fraud, and seen how it is (not) dealt with. The authorities who investigate Medicare fraud, are too busy to actually investigate. What are they to busy doing?
My main focus is on nursing homes and rehabilitation centers. This all started when my Mom died at Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation, in Hendersonville North Carolina. Sanstone Health and Rehabilitation, operates this facility. It was originally operated by Margret Pardee Memorial Hospital.
Pardee sold the business in 2008, supposedly due to the high cost of operations. Hospitals operating this type of facility, are required to have adequate numbers of staff, to care for the patients. Private companies operating nursing homes, have no staff to patient requirements. This is how they become so profitable, and also why they are so dangerous.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services,(NCDHHS), North Carolina Department of Health Service Regulation (NCDHSR), inspects and licenses these places. They also supposedly investigate complaints filed against these homes. The lack of enforcement is the focus of this blog.
After receiving Mom's medical records, I filed a complaint with the NCDHHS. The records I have are missing required signatures, dated wrong, have the wrong room number, and reflect a pattern of overbilling of Medicare. The initial result of their " investigation " of my complaint, was unsubstantiated.
I met with the Western regional director of the NCDHSR, Gail Maloney, at their Black Mountain office. I produced all the mixed up medical records from Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation, including a signed notarized statement concerning the night Mom fell. The statement conflicted the nurses notes, which were dated December 1, 2011, a month after Mom died.
My brother and his wife, and my oldest sister were also at the meeting. We had a list of questions that included discrepancies in the pharmacy bill, doctors bill and the bill for a private room, which Mom never had. There was a question as to whether Mom was given Ativan, that was prescribed. The Ativan, was unaccounted for. When I asked Ms. Maloney what happened to the Ativan, she replied, "maybe they put it back". We were told that the NCDHSR would do a review of the complaint, with the information we provided as well.
It took a little more than a month for them to call and say they found no substantiated complaints. Hard to believe, when provided with records, that prove there were reasons to substantiate the complaints. It was becoming more and more obvious, that the NCDHHS was quite friendly with the nursing home owners.
I have since filed through the freedom of information act, the results of their investigation. The day I received the report back, I had to go outside and calm down. The answers given, for the issues we complained about were absurd. There were conflicting reports written by the same person, there were actually three copies of the letter written by the doctor who preformed the review. Each letter had a different story, and none of them was entirely accurate. One of the letters stated that if Mom tried to get out of bed and fell, it was her fault. Another copy says that Dr. Larry Joe Russell had seen Mom the morning after she fell, as he would any patient when he was there. The other version says that Dr. Russell would not have seen her if the nurses evaluation didn't request it. The whole report is full of the same kind of confusion. I wonder if they ever even went into Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation.
As for the review, it is obvious, that the doctor just sat and wrote letters till he got one close enough to the actual story. Even then, they found no deficiencies. Who is supposed to watch the people who are watching the nursing homes ?
More to come on what agency does, or fails to do.
My main focus is on nursing homes and rehabilitation centers. This all started when my Mom died at Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation, in Hendersonville North Carolina. Sanstone Health and Rehabilitation, operates this facility. It was originally operated by Margret Pardee Memorial Hospital.
Pardee sold the business in 2008, supposedly due to the high cost of operations. Hospitals operating this type of facility, are required to have adequate numbers of staff, to care for the patients. Private companies operating nursing homes, have no staff to patient requirements. This is how they become so profitable, and also why they are so dangerous.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services,(NCDHHS), North Carolina Department of Health Service Regulation (NCDHSR), inspects and licenses these places. They also supposedly investigate complaints filed against these homes. The lack of enforcement is the focus of this blog.
After receiving Mom's medical records, I filed a complaint with the NCDHHS. The records I have are missing required signatures, dated wrong, have the wrong room number, and reflect a pattern of overbilling of Medicare. The initial result of their " investigation " of my complaint, was unsubstantiated.
I met with the Western regional director of the NCDHSR, Gail Maloney, at their Black Mountain office. I produced all the mixed up medical records from Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation, including a signed notarized statement concerning the night Mom fell. The statement conflicted the nurses notes, which were dated December 1, 2011, a month after Mom died.
My brother and his wife, and my oldest sister were also at the meeting. We had a list of questions that included discrepancies in the pharmacy bill, doctors bill and the bill for a private room, which Mom never had. There was a question as to whether Mom was given Ativan, that was prescribed. The Ativan, was unaccounted for. When I asked Ms. Maloney what happened to the Ativan, she replied, "maybe they put it back". We were told that the NCDHSR would do a review of the complaint, with the information we provided as well.
It took a little more than a month for them to call and say they found no substantiated complaints. Hard to believe, when provided with records, that prove there were reasons to substantiate the complaints. It was becoming more and more obvious, that the NCDHHS was quite friendly with the nursing home owners.
I have since filed through the freedom of information act, the results of their investigation. The day I received the report back, I had to go outside and calm down. The answers given, for the issues we complained about were absurd. There were conflicting reports written by the same person, there were actually three copies of the letter written by the doctor who preformed the review. Each letter had a different story, and none of them was entirely accurate. One of the letters stated that if Mom tried to get out of bed and fell, it was her fault. Another copy says that Dr. Larry Joe Russell had seen Mom the morning after she fell, as he would any patient when he was there. The other version says that Dr. Russell would not have seen her if the nurses evaluation didn't request it. The whole report is full of the same kind of confusion. I wonder if they ever even went into Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation.
As for the review, it is obvious, that the doctor just sat and wrote letters till he got one close enough to the actual story. Even then, they found no deficiencies. Who is supposed to watch the people who are watching the nursing homes ?
More to come on what agency does, or fails to do.
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
SanStone, Our passion makes the difference!
I started writing this a little over a year ago. At the time I was angry at DR. Larry Joe Russell and Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation. I was convinced, and still am that they had something to do with my mothers unexpected passing.
I am no longer focused on Dr. Larry Joe Russell, or Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation. After researching the NCDHHS survey results, I am trying to change the system. The regulators are not regulating. Either the NCDHHS is unable to enforce their own regulations, or they are powerless to do so.
In the past two years I have filed a complaint with the NCDHHS, the agency that regulates nursing homes. They supposedly did an investigation of Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation, and found no deficiencies. This prompted a meeting with the Western regional director of NCDHHS. Even after presenting her with medical records, that substantiated our complaints, they still found nothing wrong. They went as far as doing a review of their initial investigation. They still found no reason to substantiate my complaint, even with written proof. The summary of their review was written by a Dr. in Raleigh. He had to write the letter three times. The first draft had Mom dying the night she fell, she did not. The second says that Dr. Russell saw her the morning after the fall, he did not. It goes on to say that if Mom pulled off her personal alarm, it was her fault. The third report had the details and dates correct, but still found no reason to substantiate the complaint.
The problem is not DR. Larry Joe Russell or Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation. It goes much deeper than that. The problem is the laws and the way they protect the owners of these places, and Doctors with no morals, like Dr. Larry Joe Russell. There are plenty of doctors, willing to take the money from wherever it comes from. The lives of the patients are just the price paid for substandard care. It happens every where, in almost every home in every State in the Country.
Don't get me wrong, nothing would make me happier than seeing Dr. Larry Joe Russell answer for the lives that he could have saved, just by seeing his so called patients. Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation should have answer to all the families that have been hurt by their lack of care.
It all has to start somewhere, the only records I have are from Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation, and Dr. Larry Joe Russell. That is why I have focused on them. As I have said before, I have nothing to gain from this. The statute of limitations on a law suit are long past. I am trying to make a difference.
There are people dying needlessly at homes everywhere. The reason for this blog is to try and make sure that these people are allowed to live the end of their lives with some dignity. These are our parents, and grandparents. They have worked all their lives, just to be left lying in their own waste, hungry and lonely. The owners of these places are smart, they know when you are going to visit. They make sure there are plenty of staff during the day, right up until you go home.
They make these places look like resorts on the outside. Look closely, when you go inside, the reality is there if you look for it. They take advantage of the fact that the person you are trusting to their care, cant be cared for at home. They don't want you to worry about anything. So they advertise how their passion makes a difference. How they care for their patients like their own family. Look around, they are liars. They are taking record profits from their ownership, with little to no liability. They make their money, by not having the staff to provide even basic care. Talk to a nurse or cna, that works in one of these places, they are always short of help. The good employees, leave, and look for something better. The rest, just take their paychecks. They resent the patients, because they are the cause of their being overworked. They are afraid to say anything because they will get fired, and no one else will hire them.
I have spoken to several of these people. They will answer ads, and talk on the phone. They will tell you how bad the patients are treated, and how lives could be saved. Ask them to help, and that's the last conversation you will ever have with them. I have spoken to relatives of patients that have been abused and overbilled. They will tell you specific things that happened, until you ask them to do something about it. As long as they can stay anonymous they will tell the stories.
The people who die in these places are not anonymous, they have names. Patricia Ackerman Lytle, that is my mothers name. They all have families, that have no clue how badly they are being treated, I know we didn't. Or they don't want to get involved. I didn't choose to get involved either, but if I quit trying, I will not be able to sleep at night. I could use any help I can get. Do you sleep at night?
Please, get involved.
I am no longer focused on Dr. Larry Joe Russell, or Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation. After researching the NCDHHS survey results, I am trying to change the system. The regulators are not regulating. Either the NCDHHS is unable to enforce their own regulations, or they are powerless to do so.
In the past two years I have filed a complaint with the NCDHHS, the agency that regulates nursing homes. They supposedly did an investigation of Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation, and found no deficiencies. This prompted a meeting with the Western regional director of NCDHHS. Even after presenting her with medical records, that substantiated our complaints, they still found nothing wrong. They went as far as doing a review of their initial investigation. They still found no reason to substantiate my complaint, even with written proof. The summary of their review was written by a Dr. in Raleigh. He had to write the letter three times. The first draft had Mom dying the night she fell, she did not. The second says that Dr. Russell saw her the morning after the fall, he did not. It goes on to say that if Mom pulled off her personal alarm, it was her fault. The third report had the details and dates correct, but still found no reason to substantiate the complaint.
The problem is not DR. Larry Joe Russell or Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation. It goes much deeper than that. The problem is the laws and the way they protect the owners of these places, and Doctors with no morals, like Dr. Larry Joe Russell. There are plenty of doctors, willing to take the money from wherever it comes from. The lives of the patients are just the price paid for substandard care. It happens every where, in almost every home in every State in the Country.
Don't get me wrong, nothing would make me happier than seeing Dr. Larry Joe Russell answer for the lives that he could have saved, just by seeing his so called patients. Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation should have answer to all the families that have been hurt by their lack of care.
It all has to start somewhere, the only records I have are from Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation, and Dr. Larry Joe Russell. That is why I have focused on them. As I have said before, I have nothing to gain from this. The statute of limitations on a law suit are long past. I am trying to make a difference.
There are people dying needlessly at homes everywhere. The reason for this blog is to try and make sure that these people are allowed to live the end of their lives with some dignity. These are our parents, and grandparents. They have worked all their lives, just to be left lying in their own waste, hungry and lonely. The owners of these places are smart, they know when you are going to visit. They make sure there are plenty of staff during the day, right up until you go home.
They make these places look like resorts on the outside. Look closely, when you go inside, the reality is there if you look for it. They take advantage of the fact that the person you are trusting to their care, cant be cared for at home. They don't want you to worry about anything. So they advertise how their passion makes a difference. How they care for their patients like their own family. Look around, they are liars. They are taking record profits from their ownership, with little to no liability. They make their money, by not having the staff to provide even basic care. Talk to a nurse or cna, that works in one of these places, they are always short of help. The good employees, leave, and look for something better. The rest, just take their paychecks. They resent the patients, because they are the cause of their being overworked. They are afraid to say anything because they will get fired, and no one else will hire them.
I have spoken to several of these people. They will answer ads, and talk on the phone. They will tell you how bad the patients are treated, and how lives could be saved. Ask them to help, and that's the last conversation you will ever have with them. I have spoken to relatives of patients that have been abused and overbilled. They will tell you specific things that happened, until you ask them to do something about it. As long as they can stay anonymous they will tell the stories.
The people who die in these places are not anonymous, they have names. Patricia Ackerman Lytle, that is my mothers name. They all have families, that have no clue how badly they are being treated, I know we didn't. Or they don't want to get involved. I didn't choose to get involved either, but if I quit trying, I will not be able to sleep at night. I could use any help I can get. Do you sleep at night?
Please, get involved.
Thursday, November 14, 2013
Do you know who your doctor is ??
Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation, SanStone Health and Rehabilitation, Dr. Larry Joe Russell, Jennifer Thomas, Susan Habel RN, Tammy Mace RN, Lara Mooney LPN, "Cookie" Maude Romeo, Mike Deloach, Christopher Sprenger, Gail Maloney RN and NCDHHS.
November 2011, was a month of learning for me. As my suspicions grew, I tried to gather as much information as I could. The first place I went was to the Henderson County EMS. They were more than happy to provide me with the call sheet from the morning Mom died. The times on the EMS report did not match the times I was given by Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation. The report shows that cpr was preformed for fifty minutes, with never any heartbeat. There is a copy of the ekg and it is a flat line from start to finish. I did some research, and after six minutes without a heartbeat or breath, a person is dead. The nurses own report says that Mom was unresponsive for ten to fifteen minutes before cpr.
I walked from the ems building to Pardee hospital. I went into the emergency room and ended up in the family room with the head er nurse on duty that day. She tried to explain the death certificate to me. She said that since Dr. Russell was supposedly Moms doctor at Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation , he signed the death certificate. It still didn't make sense that the doctor in the er that morning, Dr. Boleman, pronounced her but didn't sign the certificate. The records I had been able to obtain at this point, made a reference that DR. Russell was to discuss it with Dr. Harrellson. Ok, now you have three doctors involved, and to my knowledge, none of them had seen Mom except DR. Boleman. And that was that morning in the er. What was going on?
The next thing was to figure out who all these doctors were, and how they were involved. First Dr. Boleman is a member of Hendersonville emergency physicians. They are the er doctor group at Pardee. Then Dr. Harrellson, who was he, and why would Dr. Russell discuss the cause of death with him. Well, Dr. Harrellson turned out to be a she, Dr. Anna Q. Harrellson . Just so happens that she was a member of DR. Russell's practice. DR. Russell's practice is WNC Family Medical Center at 510 Balsam Rd. in Hendersonville. Dr Russell was supposed to be Mom's doctor. There is no indication that he ever even saw her.
I would have to wait till mid December to get the medical records. That's when things really started looking bad. More to come.
November 2011, was a month of learning for me. As my suspicions grew, I tried to gather as much information as I could. The first place I went was to the Henderson County EMS. They were more than happy to provide me with the call sheet from the morning Mom died. The times on the EMS report did not match the times I was given by Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation. The report shows that cpr was preformed for fifty minutes, with never any heartbeat. There is a copy of the ekg and it is a flat line from start to finish. I did some research, and after six minutes without a heartbeat or breath, a person is dead. The nurses own report says that Mom was unresponsive for ten to fifteen minutes before cpr.
I walked from the ems building to Pardee hospital. I went into the emergency room and ended up in the family room with the head er nurse on duty that day. She tried to explain the death certificate to me. She said that since Dr. Russell was supposedly Moms doctor at Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation , he signed the death certificate. It still didn't make sense that the doctor in the er that morning, Dr. Boleman, pronounced her but didn't sign the certificate. The records I had been able to obtain at this point, made a reference that DR. Russell was to discuss it with Dr. Harrellson. Ok, now you have three doctors involved, and to my knowledge, none of them had seen Mom except DR. Boleman. And that was that morning in the er. What was going on?
The next thing was to figure out who all these doctors were, and how they were involved. First Dr. Boleman is a member of Hendersonville emergency physicians. They are the er doctor group at Pardee. Then Dr. Harrellson, who was he, and why would Dr. Russell discuss the cause of death with him. Well, Dr. Harrellson turned out to be a she, Dr. Anna Q. Harrellson . Just so happens that she was a member of DR. Russell's practice. DR. Russell's practice is WNC Family Medical Center at 510 Balsam Rd. in Hendersonville. Dr Russell was supposed to be Mom's doctor. There is no indication that he ever even saw her.
I would have to wait till mid December to get the medical records. That's when things really started looking bad. More to come.
Monday, November 11, 2013
How long should I wait ???
Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation, SanStone Health and Rehabilitation, Dr. Larry Joe Russell, Jennifer Thomas, Susan Habel RN, Tammy Mace RN, Lara Mooney LPN, "Cookie" Maude Romeo, Mike Deloach, Christopher Sprenger, Gail Maloney RN and NCDHHS.
At this point, Mom had been dead for seven days. She died on a Thursday, and for some reason a medical examiner had to examine her before they could creamate her. It took till Monday to get the release. The funeral went on without her remains, which does not normally happen in a Catholic Church.
After the funeral, with all the different accounts of what had happened. I called Pardee Hospital and asked them if they would do a autopsy. They said they would not, I called Dr. Russell and asked if he would order it. He said he would check on it, he never returned my call. I wasn't sure what I should do, the mortuary called and I needed to sign before they could cremate Mom's body. With my suspicions growing every day, I made the decision to delay the cremation. This was not an easy decision to make, I didn't want to make this any harder on my family or myself.
I called the SBI, and spoke to an agent there, he said they could not get involved without local law enforcements request. I called the local sheriffs department, explained the events that had taken place. The person I spoke to originally, was concerned about what I was telling him. He took notes, and said he would have another deputy call me. I never heard back from them either. The mortuary called again, they wanted to know what to do. I told them to wait, I was going to continue to try to get an autopsy done.
I called the NC State medical examiners office and told them the story, they would not get involved. According to their own rules, an autopsy is required, if someone dies in a medical facility, from something other than what they were being treated for. Mom was not being treated for anything to do with her heart, but " old people die ".
My sister then called Dr. Harold Picus, the surgeon that had done Mom's surgery. He could not believe that she had died. DR. Picus said that they had expected a full recovery. He told my sister that he would call and order an autopsy. According to Dr. Picus, Pardee Hospital denied the request, as he was not her treating doctor, Dr. Russell was.
My sister also spoke to Dr. Mills Mom's family doctor, he was also shocked that Mom had died. Dr Mills had seen her since the surgery, and saw nothing that would indicate her passing!
I called the NC State Medical Examiners office several times, still no help. The last time I called, I spoke to Hillary Sheaves, when I was telling her the story, I mentioned the fact that Mom had fallen. She stopped me, and asked " did you say she fell? ". I told her what I knew about the fall. Ms. Sheaves took the information she needed and said she would order Mom's records from Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation. She was the first person I had spoken to, that felt like something might be wrong.
The mortuary called again, it had been over three weeks since Mom had died. Again I told them I wanted to wait. I didn't want to leave Moms body laying in the mortuary, but I felt I needed to exhaust all possibilities of obtaining an autopsy. It took another week or so before I heard back from Ms. Sheaves. She started the conversation with an apology, I was getting used to that. According to Ms. Sheaves, the records from Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation, didn't indicate the fall was a significant event. They could not order an autopsy.
I called Padee Hospital, and spoke to someone there who agreed to meet with my brother and I. It was early in December, and I had still not gotten appointed as the administrator of Mom's estate. Legally I had no rights to Mom's records. We met with Steve Pennock, the public relations person at Pardee Hospital, and Gail Sams RN, the emergency room nursing director. We discussed the alarming number of deaths at Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation, which they could not comment on. Then I asked if Dr. Russell worked at Pardee, their response was that he saw patients there. I told them that I suspected that Mom had died as a result of the fall, or possibly a medication error. I begged them to do an autopsy, again they refused. I asked them if they could simply do a blood test, and take a mobile ex ray machine, and examine her head. They refused, and said the only way to get an autopsy done was to pay $4000.00, and send Moms body to Duke Medical center.
I was torn apart, Moms body had been at the mortuary for over a month at this point. I finally made the call to allow them to cremate her body. I could not continue to delay the inevitable, I felt guilty for putting it off as long as I had. Was I imagining things or was there really reasons to be suspicious?
I couldn't imagine that there could be more that would happen to make it look any worse. Well I was wrong. It's a long story, more to come.
At this point, Mom had been dead for seven days. She died on a Thursday, and for some reason a medical examiner had to examine her before they could creamate her. It took till Monday to get the release. The funeral went on without her remains, which does not normally happen in a Catholic Church.
After the funeral, with all the different accounts of what had happened. I called Pardee Hospital and asked them if they would do a autopsy. They said they would not, I called Dr. Russell and asked if he would order it. He said he would check on it, he never returned my call. I wasn't sure what I should do, the mortuary called and I needed to sign before they could cremate Mom's body. With my suspicions growing every day, I made the decision to delay the cremation. This was not an easy decision to make, I didn't want to make this any harder on my family or myself.
I called the SBI, and spoke to an agent there, he said they could not get involved without local law enforcements request. I called the local sheriffs department, explained the events that had taken place. The person I spoke to originally, was concerned about what I was telling him. He took notes, and said he would have another deputy call me. I never heard back from them either. The mortuary called again, they wanted to know what to do. I told them to wait, I was going to continue to try to get an autopsy done.
I called the NC State medical examiners office and told them the story, they would not get involved. According to their own rules, an autopsy is required, if someone dies in a medical facility, from something other than what they were being treated for. Mom was not being treated for anything to do with her heart, but " old people die ".
My sister then called Dr. Harold Picus, the surgeon that had done Mom's surgery. He could not believe that she had died. DR. Picus said that they had expected a full recovery. He told my sister that he would call and order an autopsy. According to Dr. Picus, Pardee Hospital denied the request, as he was not her treating doctor, Dr. Russell was.
My sister also spoke to Dr. Mills Mom's family doctor, he was also shocked that Mom had died. Dr Mills had seen her since the surgery, and saw nothing that would indicate her passing!
I called the NC State Medical Examiners office several times, still no help. The last time I called, I spoke to Hillary Sheaves, when I was telling her the story, I mentioned the fact that Mom had fallen. She stopped me, and asked " did you say she fell? ". I told her what I knew about the fall. Ms. Sheaves took the information she needed and said she would order Mom's records from Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation. She was the first person I had spoken to, that felt like something might be wrong.
The mortuary called again, it had been over three weeks since Mom had died. Again I told them I wanted to wait. I didn't want to leave Moms body laying in the mortuary, but I felt I needed to exhaust all possibilities of obtaining an autopsy. It took another week or so before I heard back from Ms. Sheaves. She started the conversation with an apology, I was getting used to that. According to Ms. Sheaves, the records from Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation, didn't indicate the fall was a significant event. They could not order an autopsy.
I called Padee Hospital, and spoke to someone there who agreed to meet with my brother and I. It was early in December, and I had still not gotten appointed as the administrator of Mom's estate. Legally I had no rights to Mom's records. We met with Steve Pennock, the public relations person at Pardee Hospital, and Gail Sams RN, the emergency room nursing director. We discussed the alarming number of deaths at Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation, which they could not comment on. Then I asked if Dr. Russell worked at Pardee, their response was that he saw patients there. I told them that I suspected that Mom had died as a result of the fall, or possibly a medication error. I begged them to do an autopsy, again they refused. I asked them if they could simply do a blood test, and take a mobile ex ray machine, and examine her head. They refused, and said the only way to get an autopsy done was to pay $4000.00, and send Moms body to Duke Medical center.
I was torn apart, Moms body had been at the mortuary for over a month at this point. I finally made the call to allow them to cremate her body. I could not continue to delay the inevitable, I felt guilty for putting it off as long as I had. Was I imagining things or was there really reasons to be suspicious?
I couldn't imagine that there could be more that would happen to make it look any worse. Well I was wrong. It's a long story, more to come.
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