I have repeatedly implied that annimals are more protected than the elderly in nursing homes. This morning I looked up cruelty to annimal ststutes in NC.
14-360 Cruelty to animals; construction of section. (a) If any person shall intentionally overdrive, overload, wound, injure, torment, kill, or deprive of necessary sustenance, or cause or procure to be overdriven, overloaded, wounded, injured, tormented, killed, or deprived of necessary sustenance, any animal, every such offender shall for every such offense be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.
(b) If any person shall maliciously torture, mutilate, maim, cruelly beat, disfigure, poison, or kill, or cause or procure to be tortured, mutilated, maimed, cruelly beaten, disfigured, poisoned, or killed, any animal, every such offender shall for every such offense be guilty of a Class I felony. However, nothing in this section shall be construed to increase the penalty for cockfighting provided for in G.S. 14-362.
(c) As used in this section, the words "torture", "torment", and "cruelly" include or refer to any act, omission, or neglect causing or permitting unjustifiable pain, suffering, or death. As used in this section, the word "intentionally" refers to an act committed knowingly and without justifiable excuse, while the word "maliciously" means an act committed intentionally and with malice or bad motive. As used in this section, the term "animal" includes every living vertebrate in the classes Amphibia, Reptilia, Aves, and Mammalia except human beings.
Thats right it specifically excludes human beings. Does this not seem a little strange, that they would exclude "people" from the laws that protect something like chickens, frogs and lizzards?
Trust me we would be better protected as human beings under this law than any "regulations" enforced by the NCDHHS. The animal control laws provide for serious penalties such as felony convictions . The NCDHHS will simply take away a star if they even do that.
I have read many pages of defficiencies in nursing homes that would fall under the felony provisions of the annimal cruelty law. I would consider it cruel to put a meal in front of someone who cant see their tray to eat, or to leave them sitting in their own waste. What about personal hygene, feloney or misdemeanor.
I have seen incidences of elderley being beaten, dropped, verbally abused , sexually abused, just about anything you could imagine including death at the hands of the providers. Yet these places are not even fined, they simply have to write a ststement saying that they neither acknowledge or admit to the allegations, but they are now in compliance. How would that work for a pet store , WLOS Channel 13 would be all over them and they would be shut down by the sheriffs office. The difference is the pet shop doesn't have the political influence or the money to escape justice.
When I get old I'm asking my family to put me in the annimal shelter where I can feel protected. The NCDHHS system that supervises the care or lack of care for the elderley cries for reform. Contact your Senators and Congressmen and tell them to give that money back to the PAC's and do their job! I can vouch for the integrity of one Congressman and could not continue my battle without his support.
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
Monday, April 20, 2015
Who's watching over the healthcare providers?
When it comes to health care, who is looking out for the citizens of North Carolina?
Lets start with the NCDHHS, they are the ones that oversee the licensure of health care facilities. If you have ever dealt with them, you have obviously experienced the dysfunction first hand. The problem is that they don"t want to open the floodgates by admitting any flaws in the current system. If you file a complaint with them they will go to extremes to maintain the integrity of their certification and recertification processes.
In dealing with the NCDHSR, I was told by Gail Maloney, the Western Regional director at the time, that there was no one above her, she had the final say! In other words Ms. Maloney ignored her duty to provide me with any means to dispute her opinion. Is this what you would call representation, or is it a violation of the Color of Law Statute? Did Ms. Maloney truly consider herself the director of DHSR for the entire State of NC ? Was it not her responsibility as a "public servant " to direct me to a higher authority. I find it hard to believe the final say in a DHSR matter comes from a small office in Black Mountain NC, rather than the Capitol city of Raleigh.
Next the NC Medical Board, doctors watching over doctors! Have you ever heard a doctor say anything bad about another doctor. These people have the power of life or death at their hands. Trust me no allegation made by a "normal" person is taken seriously. What non doctor would possibly have the nerve to question the actions of a person who could control if you live or die?
Now the NC Board of Nursing, nurses watching over nurses. Again the odds that a nurse will speak openly against another nurse are slim to none. In my dealing with the NCBON, I was told that the nurse that I filed a complaint against had done nothing wrong. However according to the NCBON, she was "strongly warned" against the alleged behavior in the future. Why would you warn a nurse not to do something if that something was not wrong in the first place? I wrote them and asked specific questions about that warning and was referred to their attorney.
How about the QIO or Quality Improvement Organization. I spoke to one representative who said one of the issues was a big deal, but when it came back, there were no issues found?
The sad fact is that the system is so broken, it is easier for the overseers to ignore the issues and attack the accuser than to actually address the problems. The true loser is the taxpayer who is being robbed by crooked doctors, nursing home owners, and pharmacies that are basically stealing at will.
Lets start with the NCDHHS, they are the ones that oversee the licensure of health care facilities. If you have ever dealt with them, you have obviously experienced the dysfunction first hand. The problem is that they don"t want to open the floodgates by admitting any flaws in the current system. If you file a complaint with them they will go to extremes to maintain the integrity of their certification and recertification processes.
In dealing with the NCDHSR, I was told by Gail Maloney, the Western Regional director at the time, that there was no one above her, she had the final say! In other words Ms. Maloney ignored her duty to provide me with any means to dispute her opinion. Is this what you would call representation, or is it a violation of the Color of Law Statute? Did Ms. Maloney truly consider herself the director of DHSR for the entire State of NC ? Was it not her responsibility as a "public servant " to direct me to a higher authority. I find it hard to believe the final say in a DHSR matter comes from a small office in Black Mountain NC, rather than the Capitol city of Raleigh.
Next the NC Medical Board, doctors watching over doctors! Have you ever heard a doctor say anything bad about another doctor. These people have the power of life or death at their hands. Trust me no allegation made by a "normal" person is taken seriously. What non doctor would possibly have the nerve to question the actions of a person who could control if you live or die?
Now the NC Board of Nursing, nurses watching over nurses. Again the odds that a nurse will speak openly against another nurse are slim to none. In my dealing with the NCBON, I was told that the nurse that I filed a complaint against had done nothing wrong. However according to the NCBON, she was "strongly warned" against the alleged behavior in the future. Why would you warn a nurse not to do something if that something was not wrong in the first place? I wrote them and asked specific questions about that warning and was referred to their attorney.
How about the QIO or Quality Improvement Organization. I spoke to one representative who said one of the issues was a big deal, but when it came back, there were no issues found?
The sad fact is that the system is so broken, it is easier for the overseers to ignore the issues and attack the accuser than to actually address the problems. The true loser is the taxpayer who is being robbed by crooked doctors, nursing home owners, and pharmacies that are basically stealing at will.
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
Is Ardent Health and Rehabilitation part of Ardent Health Services? Who's watching the pharmacies?
SanStone Health and Rehabilitation, if you look them up on Medicare.gov they operated and managed by by Ardent Health and Rehabilitation. The strange thing is Ardent Health and Rehabilitation doesn't seem to own or operate any health and rehabilitation facilities. Why do they need two different names for one company?
The only Ardent on the Securities and Exchange website is Ardent Health Services, located in Nashville Tennessee. Ardent Health Services operates 11 Pharmacies in New Mexico, and fourteen Hospitals including, Baptist St. Anthonies Health Systems in Amarillo Texas, Hillcrest Healthcare systems in Tulsa Oklahoma, and Lovelace Healthcare Systems in Albuquerque N.M..
One would think that the name Ardent would be protected from use by other companies, especially in the health care field. Either Ardent Health and Rehabilitation is part of Ardent Health Services, or the name is not protected. Why does a company in Tennessee own and operate hospitals and pharmacies out West, but nothing locally?
This is an example of why the regulatory agencies are having a hard time keeping up with who is who. Add to that the fact that politicians are constantly cutting the budgets of enforcement agencies to protect their own investments, and you have a perfect example of what is wrong with the system.
Then there are the government contractors that are supposed to insure integrity of the system. How does a company that is competing for the contracts maintain their own integrity? Obviously they are not going to aggressively pursue the very people they work for! Is it a coincidence that Advancemed, the Government contracted Zone Program Integrity Contractor (ZPIC) for Medicare is cant see any fraud?
Next you have on site pharmacy consultants working for one pharmacy, is that not a monopoly. I'm pretty sure the consultants wouldn't be able to keep their jobs filling prescriptions for other pharmacies.
In the case of Hendersonville Health and rehabilitation, the on site pharmacist works for Blue Ridge Pharmacy. The owner of Blue Ridge Pharmacy is part owner of Hendersonville Physicians and Associates, who own Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation. He is also supervised by two physicians, Dr. Larry J. Russell, Mom's doctor at HHR and Donald L. Culver, who wrote a lot of prescriptions at BeyStone. I overheard one of their reps one day pushing a refill program on a patient at HHR, they went so far as to offer gifts.
I have suspected for some time that Blue Ridge Pharmacy was filling all the prescriptions at all the nursing homes in Hendersonville. I had seen them at HHR and BeyStone, yesterday I saw them on the road and followed them to the Laurels. It just so happens that Dr. Russell is the medical director at The Laurels as well as the supervisor of the owner of Blue Ridge Pharmacy. Is this not a violation of some sort of antitrust law, if not it should be. This is where the politicians are helping them out, changing regulations to make it easy for them to get away with it.
The system is not working, you have one group providing every aspect of nursing home care. I am pretty sure they are also providing the DME's, I just cant prove it yet. There is also one mobile Xray company that seems to be doing all the xrays at the homes. Carol Lloyd Inc. also MMDS is likely the sole provider of mobile Xrays and diagnostics for this particular group. I'm sure there is plenty of "gift" giving in this huge circle of "friends". I'm sure they have each spent the night at one of Dr.Russells lake house or cabin in Gatlinburg.
I would be interested if anyone reading this knows where else Blue Ridge Pharmacy delivers to, you could just leave a comment. More to come.
The only Ardent on the Securities and Exchange website is Ardent Health Services, located in Nashville Tennessee. Ardent Health Services operates 11 Pharmacies in New Mexico, and fourteen Hospitals including, Baptist St. Anthonies Health Systems in Amarillo Texas, Hillcrest Healthcare systems in Tulsa Oklahoma, and Lovelace Healthcare Systems in Albuquerque N.M..
One would think that the name Ardent would be protected from use by other companies, especially in the health care field. Either Ardent Health and Rehabilitation is part of Ardent Health Services, or the name is not protected. Why does a company in Tennessee own and operate hospitals and pharmacies out West, but nothing locally?
This is an example of why the regulatory agencies are having a hard time keeping up with who is who. Add to that the fact that politicians are constantly cutting the budgets of enforcement agencies to protect their own investments, and you have a perfect example of what is wrong with the system.
Then there are the government contractors that are supposed to insure integrity of the system. How does a company that is competing for the contracts maintain their own integrity? Obviously they are not going to aggressively pursue the very people they work for! Is it a coincidence that Advancemed, the Government contracted Zone Program Integrity Contractor (ZPIC) for Medicare is cant see any fraud?
Next you have on site pharmacy consultants working for one pharmacy, is that not a monopoly. I'm pretty sure the consultants wouldn't be able to keep their jobs filling prescriptions for other pharmacies.
In the case of Hendersonville Health and rehabilitation, the on site pharmacist works for Blue Ridge Pharmacy. The owner of Blue Ridge Pharmacy is part owner of Hendersonville Physicians and Associates, who own Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation. He is also supervised by two physicians, Dr. Larry J. Russell, Mom's doctor at HHR and Donald L. Culver, who wrote a lot of prescriptions at BeyStone. I overheard one of their reps one day pushing a refill program on a patient at HHR, they went so far as to offer gifts.
I have suspected for some time that Blue Ridge Pharmacy was filling all the prescriptions at all the nursing homes in Hendersonville. I had seen them at HHR and BeyStone, yesterday I saw them on the road and followed them to the Laurels. It just so happens that Dr. Russell is the medical director at The Laurels as well as the supervisor of the owner of Blue Ridge Pharmacy. Is this not a violation of some sort of antitrust law, if not it should be. This is where the politicians are helping them out, changing regulations to make it easy for them to get away with it.
The system is not working, you have one group providing every aspect of nursing home care. I am pretty sure they are also providing the DME's, I just cant prove it yet. There is also one mobile Xray company that seems to be doing all the xrays at the homes. Carol Lloyd Inc. also MMDS is likely the sole provider of mobile Xrays and diagnostics for this particular group. I'm sure there is plenty of "gift" giving in this huge circle of "friends". I'm sure they have each spent the night at one of Dr.Russells lake house or cabin in Gatlinburg.
I would be interested if anyone reading this knows where else Blue Ridge Pharmacy delivers to, you could just leave a comment. More to come.
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
If Pat McCrory, the Governor of NC doesn't care, where else do you go?
The last several posts were focused on SanStone and their so called "passion that makes us different" campaign. I am still seeing those damn commercials, but it's time to focus a little on the government agencies that oversee the medical industry.
The first complaint I made was to the North Carolina Department of Health Service Regulation. My brother and I made separate complaints with somewhat different issues. The people taking the complaint on the phone seem very concerned , and indicate a willingness to help. They are the only ones in the NCDHSR that show anything other than a sympathetic stand on the side of the nursing home.
After the complaint investigation of Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation found no deficiencies, we were able to meet with the Western Regional Director, Gail Maloney. Sometime in late February of 2011, several family members met with Ms. Maloney at the Black Mountain office. We were armed with a signed statement from Mom's roommate that disputed the nurses account of the fall. Along with that we had gone through Mom's medical records and had so many discrepancies that we were sure to get results. There was missing medication, and medication records, wrong room numbers and outright false records. Surprisingly at the time Ms. Maloney saw nothing in our stack of papers that was wrong. Ms. Maloney went on to say that there was no one else above them and that there decision would be the last word.
In the meantime I had filed a complaint with the N.C Medical Board against Dr. Larry J. Russell. I alleged that he had not done his job, by not examining Mom after the fall. This was a big issue because of the fact that she had undergone brain surgery only six weeks before. Also the fact that although she had "met her goals" and was scheduled to go home, she died from no apparent reason. Dr. Russell found no reason for an autopsy, so none was done. I wonder if this could be attributed to the fact that he was one of the owners of Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation ? Of course the N.C Medical board found on reason to even warn Dr. Russell, and went so far as to tell me they would retain these records in the event that they received any further complaints against Dr. Russell. I know for a fact that at least one other person filed a complaint with the NC Medical Board against Dr. Russell, and still no action. This person contacted me from a number on my blog last year.
Next step was a complaint with the NC Board of Nursing filed against Lara Mooney LPN and Susan Habel RN ( the director of nursing at Hendersonville Health and rehabilitation). I received a letter stating that Lara Mooney LPN was "strongly cautioned" but no explanation of what she was cautioned for. It seemed strange that although they found no wrongdoing, Lara Mooney was "strongly cautioned" for something. Several calls and emails later I was eventually directed to the boards attorney for any further questions I had!
Next step was a two hour meeting with an FBI agent in Asheville. Although he was not familiar with health care regulations, he saw plenty of things wrong with what we showed him. He was very pleasant and we thought we were finally going to get someone to actually look at Mom's case. Our relationship lasted for two years and we met one other time with two agents. The outcome of this is still unknown at this point.
You would think that would be the end of it, but not the case. I also contacted my Congressman (Heath Shuler) and he passed our information on to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in Atlanta. The contact there sent a letter stating that CMS applauded concerned citizens, and they would do a thorough investigation. The letter said they would also be forwarding our concerns to several different places. I never heard from them again, so I contacted the Congressman's office, who contacted CMS. Turns out that somehow our information never made it off the contacts desk.
I think that by now it is obvious that I am persistent. I have also contacted the CCME (Carolina's Center for Medical Excellence), NC State Medical Examiners office, NC Pharmacy Board , ABC News, the Office of Inspector General, three Senators and NCI Advancemed, the Zoze Program Integrity Contractor for Medicare. My brother has requested information from Advancemed two years ago through the Freedom of Information Act, and still has not received a response.
The bottom line is that not one of these contacts led anywhere. The attitude we have gotten could only be described as hostile and uninterested. I have also written to Governor Pat McCrory, and Aldona Wos ( Secretary of the NCDHHS)
The branch of government that actually investigates fraud, and any broken laws, is the Office of Inspector General (OIG). They are actually a division of law enforcement. The OIG has more work than they can handle. there are so many crooked nursing home owners , the OIG cant keep up. The owners keep changing names and hiding behind several shell corporations. It would be a full time job just to know who owns what on which day.
Then you have people in high places that are owners of the homes. It is not surprising that the laws are tilted to the favor of the homes. There have been law suits that were won, and they cant figure out where to collect the settlement. The whole system needs a serious revamping.
With the current level of political contributions not being regulated, the rich owners of nursing homes can buy just about any politician they want. I'm not sure what they contributed to Governor Pat McCrory, but it was definitely enough to get him to turn his head. He went so far as to refuse Medicaid money for some reason. Could it be that Governor McCrory has something going in North Carolina that he doesn't want someone to know about? I am relatively certain that Governor McCrory's parents would never be caught dead ( pun intended ) in one of the local nursing homes.
The first complaint I made was to the North Carolina Department of Health Service Regulation. My brother and I made separate complaints with somewhat different issues. The people taking the complaint on the phone seem very concerned , and indicate a willingness to help. They are the only ones in the NCDHSR that show anything other than a sympathetic stand on the side of the nursing home.
After the complaint investigation of Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation found no deficiencies, we were able to meet with the Western Regional Director, Gail Maloney. Sometime in late February of 2011, several family members met with Ms. Maloney at the Black Mountain office. We were armed with a signed statement from Mom's roommate that disputed the nurses account of the fall. Along with that we had gone through Mom's medical records and had so many discrepancies that we were sure to get results. There was missing medication, and medication records, wrong room numbers and outright false records. Surprisingly at the time Ms. Maloney saw nothing in our stack of papers that was wrong. Ms. Maloney went on to say that there was no one else above them and that there decision would be the last word.
In the meantime I had filed a complaint with the N.C Medical Board against Dr. Larry J. Russell. I alleged that he had not done his job, by not examining Mom after the fall. This was a big issue because of the fact that she had undergone brain surgery only six weeks before. Also the fact that although she had "met her goals" and was scheduled to go home, she died from no apparent reason. Dr. Russell found no reason for an autopsy, so none was done. I wonder if this could be attributed to the fact that he was one of the owners of Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation ? Of course the N.C Medical board found on reason to even warn Dr. Russell, and went so far as to tell me they would retain these records in the event that they received any further complaints against Dr. Russell. I know for a fact that at least one other person filed a complaint with the NC Medical Board against Dr. Russell, and still no action. This person contacted me from a number on my blog last year.
Next step was a complaint with the NC Board of Nursing filed against Lara Mooney LPN and Susan Habel RN ( the director of nursing at Hendersonville Health and rehabilitation). I received a letter stating that Lara Mooney LPN was "strongly cautioned" but no explanation of what she was cautioned for. It seemed strange that although they found no wrongdoing, Lara Mooney was "strongly cautioned" for something. Several calls and emails later I was eventually directed to the boards attorney for any further questions I had!
Next step was a two hour meeting with an FBI agent in Asheville. Although he was not familiar with health care regulations, he saw plenty of things wrong with what we showed him. He was very pleasant and we thought we were finally going to get someone to actually look at Mom's case. Our relationship lasted for two years and we met one other time with two agents. The outcome of this is still unknown at this point.
You would think that would be the end of it, but not the case. I also contacted my Congressman (Heath Shuler) and he passed our information on to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in Atlanta. The contact there sent a letter stating that CMS applauded concerned citizens, and they would do a thorough investigation. The letter said they would also be forwarding our concerns to several different places. I never heard from them again, so I contacted the Congressman's office, who contacted CMS. Turns out that somehow our information never made it off the contacts desk.
I think that by now it is obvious that I am persistent. I have also contacted the CCME (Carolina's Center for Medical Excellence), NC State Medical Examiners office, NC Pharmacy Board , ABC News, the Office of Inspector General, three Senators and NCI Advancemed, the Zoze Program Integrity Contractor for Medicare. My brother has requested information from Advancemed two years ago through the Freedom of Information Act, and still has not received a response.
The bottom line is that not one of these contacts led anywhere. The attitude we have gotten could only be described as hostile and uninterested. I have also written to Governor Pat McCrory, and Aldona Wos ( Secretary of the NCDHHS)
The branch of government that actually investigates fraud, and any broken laws, is the Office of Inspector General (OIG). They are actually a division of law enforcement. The OIG has more work than they can handle. there are so many crooked nursing home owners , the OIG cant keep up. The owners keep changing names and hiding behind several shell corporations. It would be a full time job just to know who owns what on which day.
Then you have people in high places that are owners of the homes. It is not surprising that the laws are tilted to the favor of the homes. There have been law suits that were won, and they cant figure out where to collect the settlement. The whole system needs a serious revamping.
With the current level of political contributions not being regulated, the rich owners of nursing homes can buy just about any politician they want. I'm not sure what they contributed to Governor Pat McCrory, but it was definitely enough to get him to turn his head. He went so far as to refuse Medicaid money for some reason. Could it be that Governor McCrory has something going in North Carolina that he doesn't want someone to know about? I am relatively certain that Governor McCrory's parents would never be caught dead ( pun intended ) in one of the local nursing homes.
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
More on SanStone, and the passion that makes the difference!
In my last post I mentioned South Village Health and rehabilitation in Raleigh. It is a SanStone property. I found where they had been fined almost $300,000.00 by the CMS. The information can be seen on Medicare.gov, nursing home compare website. Although it shows the fines, there is no information as to what they were fined for.
I contacted Beverley Speroff, the Division Chief of the North Carolina Division Health Service Regulation (NCDHSR). I asked Ms. Speroff why I could not find the fines on their "list of facilities with fines" page. Ms Speroff replied that the fines were imposed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and would not show on the NCDHSR page.
What it looks like to me is that the NCDHSR does the investigations, but they dont impose the fines. It appears that the CMS Imposes the fines, based on the NCDHSR Investigations. If thats the case it seems they should both post the information. How can the average citizen looking for a nursing home possibly figure this out? How many Government websites do you have to visit to get the whole picture?
Here is the link for the inspection results from the NCDHSR
http://www.ncdhhs.gov/dhsr/facilities/facility.asp?fid=923549
Here is the Medicare.gov (CMS) link. You can click on the penalties tab and see the fines. But there is no explanation. You can also click on the investigations tab and see the latses inspections, none of which explain the penalties.
http://www.medicare.gov/nursinghomecompare/profile.html#profTab=4&ID=345137&Distn=2.7&loc=ROCKY%20MOUNT%2C%20NC&lat=35.9382103&lng=-77.7905339
This system is definately not working. It is set up to be confusing, and without extensive research makes no sense at all. There is no useful information from the State (NCDHSR) or the Federal (CMS) website. Together, they make a little more sense but still not completely accurate. The information on both sites is not updated frequently enough to make an educated decision on what homes are good or bad.
Not only is all of the above an issue, but they can kill people and still operate. All they have to do is pay the fine, and that is a worst case scenario. In most cases, they are written up by the NCDHSR and the deficiencies are majically corrected. Could this be a result of Governor McCrory's appointed leader of the NCDHSR? Does Governor McCrory personally have money invested in the nursing home industry, or just his friends and contributors? Either way it is obvious that the owners of these places have no fear of any repercussions resulting from their mistakes, even when they result in death.
I have researched many different nursing homes, most are chains run by shell corporations and managed by other shell companies. They change the names of the corporations like I change my socks. It is almost impossible to keep up with them. An example would be Beystone, a SanStone property, there is Beystone and then there is Beystone new company. This is from the NC Secretary of State Corporations page. I drove by their listed address and it is a FedEx office on Airport road in Arden. It all seems so sketchy simply because it is. These people know how to work the system and if they dont, they just pay someone to change it.
I contacted Beverley Speroff, the Division Chief of the North Carolina Division Health Service Regulation (NCDHSR). I asked Ms. Speroff why I could not find the fines on their "list of facilities with fines" page. Ms Speroff replied that the fines were imposed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and would not show on the NCDHSR page.
What it looks like to me is that the NCDHSR does the investigations, but they dont impose the fines. It appears that the CMS Imposes the fines, based on the NCDHSR Investigations. If thats the case it seems they should both post the information. How can the average citizen looking for a nursing home possibly figure this out? How many Government websites do you have to visit to get the whole picture?
Here is the link for the inspection results from the NCDHSR
http://www.ncdhhs.gov/dhsr/facilities/facility.asp?fid=923549
Here is the Medicare.gov (CMS) link. You can click on the penalties tab and see the fines. But there is no explanation. You can also click on the investigations tab and see the latses inspections, none of which explain the penalties.
http://www.medicare.gov/nursinghomecompare/profile.html#profTab=4&ID=345137&Distn=2.7&loc=ROCKY%20MOUNT%2C%20NC&lat=35.9382103&lng=-77.7905339
This system is definately not working. It is set up to be confusing, and without extensive research makes no sense at all. There is no useful information from the State (NCDHSR) or the Federal (CMS) website. Together, they make a little more sense but still not completely accurate. The information on both sites is not updated frequently enough to make an educated decision on what homes are good or bad.
Not only is all of the above an issue, but they can kill people and still operate. All they have to do is pay the fine, and that is a worst case scenario. In most cases, they are written up by the NCDHSR and the deficiencies are majically corrected. Could this be a result of Governor McCrory's appointed leader of the NCDHSR? Does Governor McCrory personally have money invested in the nursing home industry, or just his friends and contributors? Either way it is obvious that the owners of these places have no fear of any repercussions resulting from their mistakes, even when they result in death.
I have researched many different nursing homes, most are chains run by shell corporations and managed by other shell companies. They change the names of the corporations like I change my socks. It is almost impossible to keep up with them. An example would be Beystone, a SanStone property, there is Beystone and then there is Beystone new company. This is from the NC Secretary of State Corporations page. I drove by their listed address and it is a FedEx office on Airport road in Arden. It all seems so sketchy simply because it is. These people know how to work the system and if they dont, they just pay someone to change it.
Saturday, February 14, 2015
SanStone Health and Rehabilitation , True lack of passion revealed!!
I keep seeing those damn commercials " SanStone It's our passion that makes the difference". Well today I decided to do some research on SanStones supposed passion. I went to Medicare.gov, the site that rates nursing homes. Each home is evaluated and given a star rating, the ratings don't seem to reflect the NCDHSR inspections, so that part is still a mystery. The star rating is, one for the lowest, and five for the highest. Anyway here is a list of SanStone properties and their star ratings as of today.
Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation 3 stars : One inspection in 2014 with five deficiencies .
BeyStone Health and Rehabilitation 3 stars : One inspection with no deficiencies found ?
StoneCreek Health and Rehabilitation 5 stars : One inspection with three deficiencies.
Anson Health and Rehabilitation 2 stars : One inspection with three deficiencies .
Madison Health and Rehabilitation 3 stars : One inspection with four deficiencies .
Oak Forest Health and Rehabilitation 3 stars : One inspection with four deficiencies .
Sanford Health and Rehabilitation 3 stars : One inspection with four deficiencies .
South Village Health and Rehabilitation 1 star : One inspection with no deficiencies . Three complaint investigations with three deficiencies resulting in resident death!
Now here is a list of deficiencies at SanStone properties. Take notice of the violations concerning administration and storage of drugs.
1. Failure to : Conduct initial and periodic assessments of each residents functional capacity.
2. Make sure services provided by the nursing facility meet professional standards of quality.
3. Provide necessary care and services to maintain the highest well being of each resident.(3)
4. Make sure that all resident's drug regimen is free of unnecessary drugs.
5. each residents entire drug regimen is managed and monitored to achieve highest well being.
6. Make sure all residents are safe from serious medication errors.
7. Give each resident a notice of rights, rules, services, and charges.
8. Maintain drug records and properly label drugs according to accepted professional standards.(2)
9. Keep accurate, complete, organized clinical records on each resident that meet professional standards.
10. Store, cook and serve food in a clean way. (3)
11. Immediately tell the resident, doctor, and a family member of any situation affecting resident.(3)
12. Provide housekeeping and maintenance services.
13. Allow the resident the right to participate in the planning or revision of the residents care plan. (2)
14. Try to resolve each residents complaints quickly.
15. Reasonably accommodate the needs and preferences of each resident.
16. Keep medication errors to less than 5%.
17. Give resident proper treatment to prevent new pressure sores or heal existing pressure sores. (2)
18. Safely provide drugs and other similar products available, which are needed every day and in emergencies by a licenced pharmacist.
19. Assist those residents who need total help with eating, drinking, grooming, and personal and oral hygiene.
In one of the cases at South Village , the resident actually died.
Is that what sets SanStone apart from other homes? " Passion, that's what makes the difference." Maybe if the spent their money on staffing their properties instead of advertising and sponsoring events, they could actually provide adequate care.
Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation 3 stars : One inspection in 2014 with five deficiencies .
BeyStone Health and Rehabilitation 3 stars : One inspection with no deficiencies found ?
StoneCreek Health and Rehabilitation 5 stars : One inspection with three deficiencies.
Anson Health and Rehabilitation 2 stars : One inspection with three deficiencies .
Madison Health and Rehabilitation 3 stars : One inspection with four deficiencies .
Oak Forest Health and Rehabilitation 3 stars : One inspection with four deficiencies .
Sanford Health and Rehabilitation 3 stars : One inspection with four deficiencies .
South Village Health and Rehabilitation 1 star : One inspection with no deficiencies . Three complaint investigations with three deficiencies resulting in resident death!
Now here is a list of deficiencies at SanStone properties. Take notice of the violations concerning administration and storage of drugs.
1. Failure to : Conduct initial and periodic assessments of each residents functional capacity.
2. Make sure services provided by the nursing facility meet professional standards of quality.
3. Provide necessary care and services to maintain the highest well being of each resident.(3)
4. Make sure that all resident's drug regimen is free of unnecessary drugs.
5. each residents entire drug regimen is managed and monitored to achieve highest well being.
6. Make sure all residents are safe from serious medication errors.
7. Give each resident a notice of rights, rules, services, and charges.
8. Maintain drug records and properly label drugs according to accepted professional standards.(2)
9. Keep accurate, complete, organized clinical records on each resident that meet professional standards.
10. Store, cook and serve food in a clean way. (3)
11. Immediately tell the resident, doctor, and a family member of any situation affecting resident.(3)
12. Provide housekeeping and maintenance services.
13. Allow the resident the right to participate in the planning or revision of the residents care plan. (2)
14. Try to resolve each residents complaints quickly.
15. Reasonably accommodate the needs and preferences of each resident.
16. Keep medication errors to less than 5%.
17. Give resident proper treatment to prevent new pressure sores or heal existing pressure sores. (2)
18. Safely provide drugs and other similar products available, which are needed every day and in emergencies by a licenced pharmacist.
19. Assist those residents who need total help with eating, drinking, grooming, and personal and oral hygiene.
In one of the cases at South Village , the resident actually died.
Is that what sets SanStone apart from other homes? " Passion, that's what makes the difference." Maybe if the spent their money on staffing their properties instead of advertising and sponsoring events, they could actually provide adequate care.
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
"SanStone It's our passion that makes us different". Go see for yourself their "passion" in action.
I am still having difficulties with hearing the SanStone commercials on WLOS channel 13. "SanStone Health, It's our passion that makes us different." Different from who would be the question. All you have to do is look at the ratings on Medicare.gov, and you will see they are no different from any of the other homes. It is somewhat confusing how they maintain a average rating, with all that passion. I'm sure it has to do with the help they get from their friends at the NCDHSR. It's not like they don't get complaints against SanStone properties, It's just that none of the complaints are substantiated. It's not like they don't get written up occasionally in the yearly surveys either. The answer to complaints and surveys both is the same, "defficiencies corrected."
I just went to Medicare.gov and they don't even show the corrections anymore. They tell you to call the home for plan of correction
I'm not sure how much they pay those elderley folk in their commercials to say how wonderful they are, but they are obviously not residents at Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation. I've been in there and what I saw was certainly not Passion.
I saw people laying in their own urine and feces. I saw residents wheeled down to therapy an hour early, just so someone would be watching them. I saw residents sitting in the hall and dining room in wheelchairs waiting for someone to take them somewhere. What I did not see was passion.
While visiting a friend one day, he had an accident while in his wheelchair. I pushed the call button and waited, eventually I went to the nurses station and asked the person at the desk if someone could come clean him. My friend was sitting in a wheelchair in a pool of his urine for more than 20 minutes. I know the time because when he was wheeled in they said he needed to sit up for half an hour. On a subsequent visit they were discussing a pressure ulcer. Sitting in urine for twenty minutes definately doesn't help a pressure ulcer.
The staffing levels would make it impossible for the staff to be passionate. A person that is overworked and underpaid is not a model for passion. The people who show passion are the ones trying to sell you on the place. The residents I visited were both Medicare patients, it is possible that they have a hall where they put private pay residents where they are treated different.
The bottom line is that the patients I've seen in Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation need compassion. Maybe they should change their slogan to - " Money, that's our passion". WLOS will let them say whatever they want as long as they pay. It seems a little suspicious that WLOS is in the same complex as the SanStone corporate office. Although the mailing address of SanStone is actually a Fed - X office on Airport Road, I've seen the office in Biltmore Park.
The dictionary defines passion as "an intense desire or enthusiasm for something", I guess if they don't say what they are passionate about, they can't be sued for perjury. Just walk in to Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation and look for passion. There has to be a special kind of place for these profiteers in the afterlife. Maybe then they will learn what passion is.
I just went to Medicare.gov and they don't even show the corrections anymore. They tell you to call the home for plan of correction
I'm not sure how much they pay those elderley folk in their commercials to say how wonderful they are, but they are obviously not residents at Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation. I've been in there and what I saw was certainly not Passion.
I saw people laying in their own urine and feces. I saw residents wheeled down to therapy an hour early, just so someone would be watching them. I saw residents sitting in the hall and dining room in wheelchairs waiting for someone to take them somewhere. What I did not see was passion.
While visiting a friend one day, he had an accident while in his wheelchair. I pushed the call button and waited, eventually I went to the nurses station and asked the person at the desk if someone could come clean him. My friend was sitting in a wheelchair in a pool of his urine for more than 20 minutes. I know the time because when he was wheeled in they said he needed to sit up for half an hour. On a subsequent visit they were discussing a pressure ulcer. Sitting in urine for twenty minutes definately doesn't help a pressure ulcer.
The staffing levels would make it impossible for the staff to be passionate. A person that is overworked and underpaid is not a model for passion. The people who show passion are the ones trying to sell you on the place. The residents I visited were both Medicare patients, it is possible that they have a hall where they put private pay residents where they are treated different.
The bottom line is that the patients I've seen in Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation need compassion. Maybe they should change their slogan to - " Money, that's our passion". WLOS will let them say whatever they want as long as they pay. It seems a little suspicious that WLOS is in the same complex as the SanStone corporate office. Although the mailing address of SanStone is actually a Fed - X office on Airport Road, I've seen the office in Biltmore Park.
The dictionary defines passion as "an intense desire or enthusiasm for something", I guess if they don't say what they are passionate about, they can't be sued for perjury. Just walk in to Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation and look for passion. There has to be a special kind of place for these profiteers in the afterlife. Maybe then they will learn what passion is.
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