November 3,2011, it has been four years ago today since I lost my Mom. As I am sitting here this morning, it is hard to believe the events that have taken place since that day. I believed then and still do, that Mom's death was caused by negligence on the part of Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation and Dr. Larry Joe Russell.
November 3, 2011, I received a call from Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation at 5:07 am. The person calling spoke with a Hispanic accent, "your Mother is not breathing and they are trying to resuscitate her." That was all the information she was able to give me. I got dressed and drove straight to Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation, I arrived there around 5:20, and I had to ring the doorbell to get in. I was let in by a CNA who seemed pretty shook up, and led to the nurses desk that was right across from Mom's room. I spoke to the only person there, Tammy Mace, RN. Nurse Mace told me that they had found Mom in bed that morning and that she was not breathing. She told me that they started CPR and called the EMS, who took over and transported Mom to Pardee Hospital in Hendersonville NC. I drove to Pardee and arrived there just as they were wheeling Mom in from the ambulance. I went into the lobby and spoke to the attendant on duty. She took my information and had me sit in the waiting room until they assessed Moms condition.
I sat down in the waiting room in disbelief and called my wife to tell her to bring my son, and come to the hospital right away. As soon as I hung up, a nurse approached me and asked me to come with her. I was taken into a small room behind the reception desk and told that the doctor would be right in. Things were starting to hit me that this was not good. It wasn't long that Dr. Boleman, the ER doctor came in with a nurse. He proceeded to tell me that Mom had passed away and they did all they could. Then the standard "sorry for your loss speech" and he left. I was given some time alone, in which I notified my brother and sisters of what had happened. In the meantime my wife and son had arrived and I told them what had happened. This was the very day we had been celebrating Moms release from Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation.
The events that have taken place since then seem like a bad dream. If anyone had told me that I'd become so involved in anything, I would have told them they were crazy. I became so motivated in my quest that it almost cost me my marriage.
The more I dug into the events leading to Mom's death, the harder it was to ignore. The fact is that anyway you look at the evidence we have collected, Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation and Dr. Larry Joe Russell are definitely guilty of several different things. Patient abuse, negligence and Medicare fraud, to say the least.
I've spent over three hours in meetings with the FBI, I've spoken to two different Congressmen, two representatives from the CMS, the Ombudsman's office, the NC Medical Board, the NC Board of Nursing, the NCDHHS, Kathleen Sebelius, the Secretary of the DHHS, the NC State Medical Examiners office, an agent with the SBI and two different agents with the OIG. Most of these agencies I had never even heard of before Mom died.
My brother and I have spent countless hours researching nursing home ownership and State and Federal inspection reports. We have also researched the relationship between Blue Ridge Pharmacy and Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation and Dr. Larry Joe Russell. I can also tell you that the owner, of Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation also own many homes in NC and Loraine Ohio. Their office address is actually a post box at a Fed EX store in Arden NC.
It has been an eye opening experience for me to say the least. I have read countless stories about the horrors that occur in nursing homes. I've interviewed many people that have their own horrific stories. The sad truth is that animals are more protected than the elderly. There are plenty of laws meant to protect the elderly, but trying to find anyone to enforce them is all but impossible. I've been passed from one agency to another and back again.
I have spent four years trying to help make a change in the system to make sure that what happened to Mom doesn't happen to anyone else. At this point I cant really tell where my efforts have actually made a difference. I can no longer devote all my spare time doing this, but I will always be looking for an opportunity to make a change.
Tuesday, November 3, 2015
Friday, August 28, 2015
What more proof is needed before something gets done?
Dr. Larry Joe Russell, Annette Corn ,Susan Habel, Lara Mooney, Tammy Mace, Cookie Romeo and the Nov. 3, 2011 third shift staff at Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation. Some of these people or possibly all of them, know what actually caused my Mothers death. I have spoken to all of them at one time or another, and have been told several different things.
From the information in Mom's records and what I know, Lara Mooney LPN is the one who could provide the answer. Nurse Mooney has fabricated documents in the medical records that cover up something. Whether she did so of her own accord or not I cant say. I wouldn't put it past any of the others to coerce her into doing so.
I have been looking for answers for four years as of November 3, this year. I started by going straight to Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation. The answers I got and the attitude they had are what led me to look forward.
Next stop was Pardee Hospital, where Mom was pronounced dead by Dr. Boleman, the ER doctor on shift that morning. My brother and I actually met with Steve Pennoc and Gayle Sams RN at Pardee. We discussed the records that Pardee had on hand and procedures in the ER. I asked who Dr. Larry Joe Russell was and why he would sign the death certificate and not Dr. Boleman. I was informed that Dr. Russell was Mom's doctor at the rehab center. I had been looking in the obituaries in the local paper and found it alarming how many death certificates were signed by Dr. Russell. I asked if Pardee had a high percentage of deaths sent from Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation. The response was as expected, very non committal. The standard "we don't keep track of that sort of thing". I had counted sixteen deaths at Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation within a two month period. That doesn't count the people sent to Pardee to be pronounced by the ER doctors.
The next thing to do was to file a complaint with the NCDHSR. My brother and I both filed separate complaints. The response was that they were unable to substantiate any of our complaints. They put our complaints together and considered them one. Even though there were separate issues on each complaint. This led to a meeting with Gail Maloney, the western regional director of the DHSR. We produced documents that proved what we had alleged in our complaints. Ms. Maloney was defensive and indicated there was no one else we could go to. She suggested that they would do an administrative review, but that was all they could do. Ms. Maloney told us that she didn't have a copy of the inspection results, and that we would have to file a Freedom of Information Act request to get them. It took a year and a half to get that report!
In the meantime I made several attempts to get assistance from other agencies. I spoke to a representative of the Ombudsman's office, NC State Medical Examiners office, The SBI, Henderson County Sheriffs office, The NC Medical Board, The NC Board of Nursing, The NC Pharmacy Board, NCI Advancemed the Medicare Integrity contractor for this region and The FBI.
Of all the contacts I made there were only two that took me serious, The NC State Medical Examiner and the FBI. The medical examiners office was almost ready to order an autopsy until they received the falsified document created by Lara Monney LPN. Nurse Mooney lied about the events surrounding a fall Mom had sustained on October 30, 2011. If she had told the same story as Mom's roommate at the time there would have been an autopsy. The false document was dated Dec. 1 2011, a month after Mom died, and two days before the Medical Examiners office declined to order an autopsy.
The FBI went so far as to have my brother and I come into their office with our evidence. The initial meeting lasted over two hours. The agent was convinced that we had given him enough to initiate an investigation.
Since then I have contacted: two US Congressman, three US Senators, the office of The Inspector General, the CMS, Aldona Wos Secretary of the NCDHHS, Governor Pat McCrory, Kathleen Sebelius the Federal Secretary of DHHS, several people that responded to ads on Craigslist, some who have responded to this blog, and a representative of ABC News. I'm sure that I have left out more than one other , but there are so many.
I have two separate sets of medical records from Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation oddly neither containing the same exact information or number of pages. I have through the FOIA, the results of the initial NCDHSR investigation of both mine and my brothers complaint. Again these records are full of inaccuracies and false statements and documents. Also my brother received the records of the NCI Advancemed investigation from the FOIA( again took over a year to obtain). That was the final straw, it proves on paper that our accusations concerning certain facts are accurate. We even have a collection of State and Federal statutes that have been violated. Yet with all this information, I am still no closer to having all the facts that would allow closure.
These people are stealing millions from Medicare and Medicaid. They are also allowing, even expediting the deaths of their "patients". What more proof do I need to provide them with before they react???
From the information in Mom's records and what I know, Lara Mooney LPN is the one who could provide the answer. Nurse Mooney has fabricated documents in the medical records that cover up something. Whether she did so of her own accord or not I cant say. I wouldn't put it past any of the others to coerce her into doing so.
I have been looking for answers for four years as of November 3, this year. I started by going straight to Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation. The answers I got and the attitude they had are what led me to look forward.
Next stop was Pardee Hospital, where Mom was pronounced dead by Dr. Boleman, the ER doctor on shift that morning. My brother and I actually met with Steve Pennoc and Gayle Sams RN at Pardee. We discussed the records that Pardee had on hand and procedures in the ER. I asked who Dr. Larry Joe Russell was and why he would sign the death certificate and not Dr. Boleman. I was informed that Dr. Russell was Mom's doctor at the rehab center. I had been looking in the obituaries in the local paper and found it alarming how many death certificates were signed by Dr. Russell. I asked if Pardee had a high percentage of deaths sent from Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation. The response was as expected, very non committal. The standard "we don't keep track of that sort of thing". I had counted sixteen deaths at Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation within a two month period. That doesn't count the people sent to Pardee to be pronounced by the ER doctors.
The next thing to do was to file a complaint with the NCDHSR. My brother and I both filed separate complaints. The response was that they were unable to substantiate any of our complaints. They put our complaints together and considered them one. Even though there were separate issues on each complaint. This led to a meeting with Gail Maloney, the western regional director of the DHSR. We produced documents that proved what we had alleged in our complaints. Ms. Maloney was defensive and indicated there was no one else we could go to. She suggested that they would do an administrative review, but that was all they could do. Ms. Maloney told us that she didn't have a copy of the inspection results, and that we would have to file a Freedom of Information Act request to get them. It took a year and a half to get that report!
In the meantime I made several attempts to get assistance from other agencies. I spoke to a representative of the Ombudsman's office, NC State Medical Examiners office, The SBI, Henderson County Sheriffs office, The NC Medical Board, The NC Board of Nursing, The NC Pharmacy Board, NCI Advancemed the Medicare Integrity contractor for this region and The FBI.
Of all the contacts I made there were only two that took me serious, The NC State Medical Examiner and the FBI. The medical examiners office was almost ready to order an autopsy until they received the falsified document created by Lara Monney LPN. Nurse Mooney lied about the events surrounding a fall Mom had sustained on October 30, 2011. If she had told the same story as Mom's roommate at the time there would have been an autopsy. The false document was dated Dec. 1 2011, a month after Mom died, and two days before the Medical Examiners office declined to order an autopsy.
The FBI went so far as to have my brother and I come into their office with our evidence. The initial meeting lasted over two hours. The agent was convinced that we had given him enough to initiate an investigation.
Since then I have contacted: two US Congressman, three US Senators, the office of The Inspector General, the CMS, Aldona Wos Secretary of the NCDHHS, Governor Pat McCrory, Kathleen Sebelius the Federal Secretary of DHHS, several people that responded to ads on Craigslist, some who have responded to this blog, and a representative of ABC News. I'm sure that I have left out more than one other , but there are so many.
I have two separate sets of medical records from Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation oddly neither containing the same exact information or number of pages. I have through the FOIA, the results of the initial NCDHSR investigation of both mine and my brothers complaint. Again these records are full of inaccuracies and false statements and documents. Also my brother received the records of the NCI Advancemed investigation from the FOIA( again took over a year to obtain). That was the final straw, it proves on paper that our accusations concerning certain facts are accurate. We even have a collection of State and Federal statutes that have been violated. Yet with all this information, I am still no closer to having all the facts that would allow closure.
These people are stealing millions from Medicare and Medicaid. They are also allowing, even expediting the deaths of their "patients". What more proof do I need to provide them with before they react???
Thursday, July 23, 2015
The Lodge at Mills River, Sanstones two star " showplace "
The Lodge at Mills River, a SanStone property. This is a brand new 50 bed nursing home that was opened in November 2015. The Lodge at Mills River was built to take the place of BeyStone Health and Rehabilitaton, in Mountain Home.
Here are some quotes from an article on the Blue Ridge Now website, by one of the owners, Mike Deloach.
*Deloach said The Lodge will serve as SanStone’s “showplace” community, which is why the company is relocating its offices from Biltmore Park to the Mills River facility.
*“We’re one of the smallest — or the smallest — in Western North Carolina,” Duncan said. “Which, I think, gives us a more family-oriented, home-like environment.”
*“That’s the way of the future. That’s what people want,” Deloach said. “We’re trying to create the ‘anti-nursing home’ nursing home.”
According to what I've read, this place is like a resort. Vaulted ceilings, wood floors, dark wood furniture and accents, sunrooms and porches. That's not all folks they also have a "café style dining room, coffee and ice cream bar and hair salon! And if that weren't enough to get you signed up, they even have flat screen TV's.
Here is the description copied from the SanStone website :
About Us
Here are some quotes from an article on the Blue Ridge Now website, by one of the owners, Mike Deloach.
*Deloach said The Lodge will serve as SanStone’s “showplace” community, which is why the company is relocating its offices from Biltmore Park to the Mills River facility.
*“We’re one of the smallest — or the smallest — in Western North Carolina,” Duncan said. “Which, I think, gives us a more family-oriented, home-like environment.”
*“That’s the way of the future. That’s what people want,” Deloach said. “We’re trying to create the ‘anti-nursing home’ nursing home.”
According to what I've read, this place is like a resort. Vaulted ceilings, wood floors, dark wood furniture and accents, sunrooms and porches. That's not all folks they also have a "café style dining room, coffee and ice cream bar and hair salon! And if that weren't enough to get you signed up, they even have flat screen TV's.
Here is the description copied from the SanStone website :
About Us
The Lodge at Mills River is western NC's newest skilled and rehabilitation center. We celebrate our grand opening on November 17th with the Mills River community.
Striving for excellence, we promise to serve our residents and their families with compassion and integrity during this vital and often overwhelming time of their lives. For all of our professional services, The Lodge is committed to providing experienced care in a cheerful environment that features 38 private rooms, a rehab gym, and spacious common areas.
We invite you to visit our community, meet our dedicated staff, and discover for yourself what makes The Lodge at Mills River a leader in rehabilitation and residential care.
Wow that is quite a place, if you believe what Mike Deloach and the staff have to say. I have prior experience with SanStone, and find it hard to believe anything they say or publish. That said I decided to look them up on Medicare.gov to see their rating. Medicare.gov uses a star rating system, one being the lowest and five the highest. With all the hoopla over The Lodge at Mills River, you would expect a pretty high rating. I mean Mike Deloach himself said this was a " showplace " community. It was no surprise to me to see that they had a two star rating, which is below average!
I am assuming, like all their other facilities, they spend their money on cosmetics, and operate with a minimum staff. Nursing homes need nurses! All of the bells and whistles offered and they still can only rate two stars?
Don't believe a word these profiteers say about what they can do for you. From my experience and interviews with past patients and the families of those who didn't survive a SanStone facility, it is simple economics. It all boils down to one major thing; staffing. Staffing is a major expense in any business, but a very important component , especially in a nursing home. Unlike a restaurant, if you don't like the service, you cant just get up and leave.
Most of the major travel websites use the star rating as well. I for one will not stay at a hotel that has no more than two stars. No matter what the advertising says I wont eat at a restaurant that doesn't have more than two stars. Yet here is a nursing home that claims to be a " showplace " but only two stars from Medicare.gov. I bet they rarely have an empty bed.
I am posting the link to their review on Medicare.gov so you can see for yourselves.
Thursday, July 9, 2015
Taxation without Representation? Who ya gonna call ?
This morning I was watching the news and there was a story about a woman who was arrested and charged with a felony for mistreatment of animals. Seems that this woman was keeping dogs in her house to sell them. The animals were malnourished and the conditions were unsanitary. There were several misdemeanor charges and a charge for felony mistreatment of animals. The woman was arrested and taken to jail.
I have written before about how animals are treated as if they were more valuable than human beings. Examples of similar treatment of the elderly are all over the Medicre.gov nursing home compare website. There are inspections citing nursing homes for unsanitary conditions, malnourishment, and personal hygiene issues. There are stories of sexual abuse, physical abuse , theft and emotional abuse. These are real stories about real people, not animals. The punishment for these actions is usually just " reeducation " of the staff, and on rare occasions a small monetary penalty.
The woman who did these things to her animals is in jail, and the nursing homes are being "reeducated". Just doesn't seem right.
The main difference in the two situations is that the nursing homes have enough money and influence to avoid accountability. The other is that it is easier for people to like a cute little puppy, than an older person who is frustrated and not always pleasant. The same people who would let a nursing home patient lie in their own waste, would probably go home and clean up after the puppy had an "accident" without a second thought.
You could argue that animals have no say in where they live, but the elderly in nursing homes have to take whatever bed that is available. They have little if any more choice that that little puppy. Most would rather not rely on anyone else to take care of them, they simply have no choice. If you have ever been in a nursing home, I would venture to say that you would not make a choice to live there.
People in nursing homes are there because they need more care than can be provided at home. We trust that they are being cared for in a "regulated" facility. We expect that they are being fed, bathed, assisted to the bathroom if needed, and personal hygiene is being taken care of.
Medicare.gov posts the results of their inspections on their website, and they would suggest something different. These nursing homes and the Doctors are being paid for providing the proper care, and yet they are constantly cited for the failure to do just that. The taxpaying citizens are financing the substandard care, often times at inflated costs. The government is not doing their job to make sure we are getting what we pay for.
I have been to the register of deeds office in the Henderson County Courthouse and reviewed books of death certificates, Specifically Dr. Larry Joe Russell. It is amazing how many of the good doctors "patients" are dying from a "failure to thrive". These are patients in nursing homes, people that are being cared for 24/7, by a "professional" staff. How could so many be failing to thrive?
Should Dr. Russell and his staff , and the staff at Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation be arrested or felony mistreatment of human beings? Is it sufficient that they are simply " reeducated " or fined a meager amount for this mistreatment. Do they really need to be reeducated to make sure that people are fed, bathed, clothed, and medicated properly?
The NCDHSR is the agency that inspects these facilities, and on inspection days their arrival is announced before the inspection begins. This gives the staff time to rush around fixing anything that they might get written up for. The investigators or " surveyors " usually have a nursing background, or something similar. They already know when they walk in the door what kind of things are going on in these places. It is obvious that much of the deficiencies are so prevalent that they don't even seem to matter.
The NCDHSR is a branch of the NCDHHS, which is headed by Dr. Aldona Wos, who was appointed by Governor Pat McCrory. The NCDHHS is a branch of the DHHS, a federal agency headed by Sylvia Mathews Burwell, who under questionable circumstances replaced Kathleen Sebelius in late 2014.
I have personally contacted each branch of the DHHS, State and Federal, all the way to the top. I have written to Governor Pat McCrory three separate times and have never received a reply. I have reached out to Senators and Congressmen with little to no response. As a citizen of the State of North Carolina and the United States of America, I am entitled to representation. As citizens we need to stand up for representation of the people. Elected officials are representing the corporations and their friends who have serious money invested in these places.
I will continue to write about these injustices till I am heard. I would welcome comments or opinions from anyone reading these posts. I'm sure of the 8,500 plus people reading this someone must have something to say. Stand up and fight for your representation, you are paying for it!!!
I have written before about how animals are treated as if they were more valuable than human beings. Examples of similar treatment of the elderly are all over the Medicre.gov nursing home compare website. There are inspections citing nursing homes for unsanitary conditions, malnourishment, and personal hygiene issues. There are stories of sexual abuse, physical abuse , theft and emotional abuse. These are real stories about real people, not animals. The punishment for these actions is usually just " reeducation " of the staff, and on rare occasions a small monetary penalty.
The woman who did these things to her animals is in jail, and the nursing homes are being "reeducated". Just doesn't seem right.
The main difference in the two situations is that the nursing homes have enough money and influence to avoid accountability. The other is that it is easier for people to like a cute little puppy, than an older person who is frustrated and not always pleasant. The same people who would let a nursing home patient lie in their own waste, would probably go home and clean up after the puppy had an "accident" without a second thought.
You could argue that animals have no say in where they live, but the elderly in nursing homes have to take whatever bed that is available. They have little if any more choice that that little puppy. Most would rather not rely on anyone else to take care of them, they simply have no choice. If you have ever been in a nursing home, I would venture to say that you would not make a choice to live there.
People in nursing homes are there because they need more care than can be provided at home. We trust that they are being cared for in a "regulated" facility. We expect that they are being fed, bathed, assisted to the bathroom if needed, and personal hygiene is being taken care of.
Medicare.gov posts the results of their inspections on their website, and they would suggest something different. These nursing homes and the Doctors are being paid for providing the proper care, and yet they are constantly cited for the failure to do just that. The taxpaying citizens are financing the substandard care, often times at inflated costs. The government is not doing their job to make sure we are getting what we pay for.
I have been to the register of deeds office in the Henderson County Courthouse and reviewed books of death certificates, Specifically Dr. Larry Joe Russell. It is amazing how many of the good doctors "patients" are dying from a "failure to thrive". These are patients in nursing homes, people that are being cared for 24/7, by a "professional" staff. How could so many be failing to thrive?
Should Dr. Russell and his staff , and the staff at Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation be arrested or felony mistreatment of human beings? Is it sufficient that they are simply " reeducated " or fined a meager amount for this mistreatment. Do they really need to be reeducated to make sure that people are fed, bathed, clothed, and medicated properly?
The NCDHSR is the agency that inspects these facilities, and on inspection days their arrival is announced before the inspection begins. This gives the staff time to rush around fixing anything that they might get written up for. The investigators or " surveyors " usually have a nursing background, or something similar. They already know when they walk in the door what kind of things are going on in these places. It is obvious that much of the deficiencies are so prevalent that they don't even seem to matter.
The NCDHSR is a branch of the NCDHHS, which is headed by Dr. Aldona Wos, who was appointed by Governor Pat McCrory. The NCDHHS is a branch of the DHHS, a federal agency headed by Sylvia Mathews Burwell, who under questionable circumstances replaced Kathleen Sebelius in late 2014.
I have personally contacted each branch of the DHHS, State and Federal, all the way to the top. I have written to Governor Pat McCrory three separate times and have never received a reply. I have reached out to Senators and Congressmen with little to no response. As a citizen of the State of North Carolina and the United States of America, I am entitled to representation. As citizens we need to stand up for representation of the people. Elected officials are representing the corporations and their friends who have serious money invested in these places.
I will continue to write about these injustices till I am heard. I would welcome comments or opinions from anyone reading these posts. I'm sure of the 8,500 plus people reading this someone must have something to say. Stand up and fight for your representation, you are paying for it!!!
Friday, June 12, 2015
Todd Davis, Kom Britt, Paul Yockey, Beverly Speroff, just plain stupid or is it corruption?
I have had time to review the information received from NCI Advancemed, the zone program integrity contractor for Medicare. There is one thing for sure, that is that the NCDHSR investigation was a farce. There is definitely reason to believe that someone is paying someone to look the other way.
It is also apparent that Dr. Larry Joe Russell is no stranger to stealing from Medicare. Turns out that Larry Joe got caught with his hand in the Medicare cookie jar and had to repay $116,520.00 . Seems he was billing for services he was not providing! That's exactly what he was doing in Mom's case. I guess old habits are hard to break especially when they make you rich.
There was a claim that Dr. Russell was "pre signing" forms for his mid levels, "who are of course, very well paid". As for Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation, they were accused of keeping beneficiaries longer than necessary. It looks like everything Dr. Russell is involved with is on the shady side.
Why is it that Todd Davis, Paul Yockey, and Kim Britt couldn't see anything wrong. Are they so stupid that a bunch of number crunchers ( NCI Advancemed ) can see the obvious but they cant? How many lives have been lost because of the corrupt employees of the NCDHSR ? If they actually performed thorough investigations, lives would definitely be saved.
I have contacted Beverly Speroff, the Chief of the Nursing Home Liscensure and Certification Division of the NCDHHS. Ms. Speroff has informed me that they were not interested in anything I had to say, and I could file another complaint if I wanted, but there would be no more discussion from her office. Next I contacted Aldona Wos, the Secretary of the NCDHHS, her office has no interest in learning about the obvious flaws in the system. Last but not least I attempted to contact Governor Pat McCrory, and have never even received the courtesy of a reply. I guess he is too busy covering for his friends at Duke Power and their coal ash issues.
The bottom line is that the elderly patients in nursing homes have no one looking out for them. It's bad enough for the ones that are capable of complaining, but what about those who aren't ? What kind of treatment is provided to the dementia patients, or the ones that are to weak to speak up ? I shudder to think of the abuse that these people suffer.
There is a reason Dr. Russell signs so many death certificates with " failure to thrive ". If they are being properly taken care of, how can they fail to thrive? I looked up the term " failure to thrive " in medical publications. Here is one example of the many articles I have read.
"Although it's been recognized for more than a century, failure to thrive lacks a clear definition, in part because it's not a disease or disorder itself. Rather, it's a sign that a child is undernourished. In general, kids who fail to thrive don't receive or cannot take in, keep, or use the calories that would help them grow and gain enough weight.
Doctors usually diagnose the condition in infants and toddlers — an important time of physical and mental development. After birth, a child's brain grows as much in the first year as it will grow for the rest of a child's life. Poor nutrition during this period may have lasting harmful effects on brain development."
I guess the same would apply to the elderly, basically they are starving to death. Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation allows this to happen regularly according to death certificates signed by Larry Joe. The reason this happens is that if you dont have the strength to eat, they do not have enough employees to assist with meals. According to Mom's records, she required assistance with meals due to poor vision. The only assistance she received was from the family members that would be there at meal time.
The bottom line is if you have someone you care about in Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation, watch out for them. Despite all the money they are charging, they are not providing the care necessary for their patients to thrive. Sanstone, who operates Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation has other facilities, and I would guess they are all the same.
Look at all the pretty landscaping and the clean exterior of their properties. Seems like landscaping and putting greens are more important than nursing staff. It is not always the staff's fault. They are overworked and underpaid, creating a who cares attitude. In a place where people are so fragile, that's a dangerous attitude to have. Watch out for these people, they are dangerous!
It is also apparent that Dr. Larry Joe Russell is no stranger to stealing from Medicare. Turns out that Larry Joe got caught with his hand in the Medicare cookie jar and had to repay $116,520.00 . Seems he was billing for services he was not providing! That's exactly what he was doing in Mom's case. I guess old habits are hard to break especially when they make you rich.
There was a claim that Dr. Russell was "pre signing" forms for his mid levels, "who are of course, very well paid". As for Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation, they were accused of keeping beneficiaries longer than necessary. It looks like everything Dr. Russell is involved with is on the shady side.
Why is it that Todd Davis, Paul Yockey, and Kim Britt couldn't see anything wrong. Are they so stupid that a bunch of number crunchers ( NCI Advancemed ) can see the obvious but they cant? How many lives have been lost because of the corrupt employees of the NCDHSR ? If they actually performed thorough investigations, lives would definitely be saved.
I have contacted Beverly Speroff, the Chief of the Nursing Home Liscensure and Certification Division of the NCDHHS. Ms. Speroff has informed me that they were not interested in anything I had to say, and I could file another complaint if I wanted, but there would be no more discussion from her office. Next I contacted Aldona Wos, the Secretary of the NCDHHS, her office has no interest in learning about the obvious flaws in the system. Last but not least I attempted to contact Governor Pat McCrory, and have never even received the courtesy of a reply. I guess he is too busy covering for his friends at Duke Power and their coal ash issues.
The bottom line is that the elderly patients in nursing homes have no one looking out for them. It's bad enough for the ones that are capable of complaining, but what about those who aren't ? What kind of treatment is provided to the dementia patients, or the ones that are to weak to speak up ? I shudder to think of the abuse that these people suffer.
There is a reason Dr. Russell signs so many death certificates with " failure to thrive ". If they are being properly taken care of, how can they fail to thrive? I looked up the term " failure to thrive " in medical publications. Here is one example of the many articles I have read.
"Although it's been recognized for more than a century, failure to thrive lacks a clear definition, in part because it's not a disease or disorder itself. Rather, it's a sign that a child is undernourished. In general, kids who fail to thrive don't receive or cannot take in, keep, or use the calories that would help them grow and gain enough weight.
Doctors usually diagnose the condition in infants and toddlers — an important time of physical and mental development. After birth, a child's brain grows as much in the first year as it will grow for the rest of a child's life. Poor nutrition during this period may have lasting harmful effects on brain development."
I guess the same would apply to the elderly, basically they are starving to death. Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation allows this to happen regularly according to death certificates signed by Larry Joe. The reason this happens is that if you dont have the strength to eat, they do not have enough employees to assist with meals. According to Mom's records, she required assistance with meals due to poor vision. The only assistance she received was from the family members that would be there at meal time.
The bottom line is if you have someone you care about in Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation, watch out for them. Despite all the money they are charging, they are not providing the care necessary for their patients to thrive. Sanstone, who operates Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation has other facilities, and I would guess they are all the same.
Look at all the pretty landscaping and the clean exterior of their properties. Seems like landscaping and putting greens are more important than nursing staff. It is not always the staff's fault. They are overworked and underpaid, creating a who cares attitude. In a place where people are so fragile, that's a dangerous attitude to have. Watch out for these people, they are dangerous!
Thursday, May 21, 2015
NCDHSR, are they the death panels we were warned about during the last election.
Well we finally received the information we have waited two years to get. The information is concerning an investigation done by NCI Advancemed. The investigation involved Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation and Dr. Larry Joe Russell.
Finally a government agency that actually does something, actually a government contractor. Their job is to verify Medicare benefits and maintain integrity in the program.
It seems that the issues that were not substantiated by the NCDHSR, are questioned repeatedly by NCI Advancemed. The issues that we had been raising with the NCDHSR for over three years were almost all addressed in this report. Imagine that,an agency that actually reads the records and questions the answers.
Possibly the single most important issue is the records from the night Mom fell. I have always believed that the " late entry " nurses note was created simply to avoid the State Medical Examiners requiring an autopsy. The one thing that could have proved my suspicions was the facility incident report. This is considered an internal document and was not included in Mom's records. The administrator of Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation , Paul Shogren refused to share them with me when asked.
Imagine my surprise that according to the investigation, the original entry didn't match the nurses late entry. Not only did it not match but according to NCI Advancemed there was more added to the incident report in different hand handwriting! None of the entries were dated or signed. It specifically states that Mom fell while trying to ambulate to the restroom, contradicting the "late entry where the fall was witnessed by Lara Mooney. In Lara Mooney's "late entry" she states that mom was sitting on the side of her bed and slid to the floor before she could get to her.
Is it a coincidence that this "late entry " was created after I asked the NC State Medical Examiners office to consider an autopsy based on the fall, and two days before I received their refusal? Is it also a coincidence that the "late entry" was faxed from Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation to somewhere only two days before that refusal? I think it is obvious that the folks at Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation falsify documents to protect themselves. It is also obvious that the NCDHSR who investigates them is so used to seeing this kind of thing that they just ignore it.
NCI advancemeds' investigation found several deficiencies, and they are not even trained to look at those kind of things, they basically work with numbers. It has always been obvious to me that the NCDHSR was covering for Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation, Now after reading the reports from NCI Advancemed my suspicions are confirmed.
You may ask, is there any real harm done if the NCDHSR looks the other way during their inspections. I would venture to say that the 189 people who died at Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation in 2011 might say yes. Along with the ones who died at Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation but were sent to Pardee to be pronounced. That is what happened to Mom, she had not had a heartbeat or breath for over twenty minutes and was still sent to the ER and billed for their services as well as the ambulance. Looks like fraud to me.
Is it normal for a health and rehabilitation to lose a patient every other day? I cant answer that I only have figures from Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation. I am assuming that most of them had the same doctor, Larry Joe Russell. He and his staff of PA's and FNP's are the ones who see most patients there. I personally wouldn't let Dr. Russell treat me for anything, statistics would prove my chances better with no treatment at all!
I have lots more information to share from the recent FOIA documents, keep watching it gets better.
Finally a government agency that actually does something, actually a government contractor. Their job is to verify Medicare benefits and maintain integrity in the program.
It seems that the issues that were not substantiated by the NCDHSR, are questioned repeatedly by NCI Advancemed. The issues that we had been raising with the NCDHSR for over three years were almost all addressed in this report. Imagine that,an agency that actually reads the records and questions the answers.
Possibly the single most important issue is the records from the night Mom fell. I have always believed that the " late entry " nurses note was created simply to avoid the State Medical Examiners requiring an autopsy. The one thing that could have proved my suspicions was the facility incident report. This is considered an internal document and was not included in Mom's records. The administrator of Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation , Paul Shogren refused to share them with me when asked.
Imagine my surprise that according to the investigation, the original entry didn't match the nurses late entry. Not only did it not match but according to NCI Advancemed there was more added to the incident report in different hand handwriting! None of the entries were dated or signed. It specifically states that Mom fell while trying to ambulate to the restroom, contradicting the "late entry where the fall was witnessed by Lara Mooney. In Lara Mooney's "late entry" she states that mom was sitting on the side of her bed and slid to the floor before she could get to her.
Is it a coincidence that this "late entry " was created after I asked the NC State Medical Examiners office to consider an autopsy based on the fall, and two days before I received their refusal? Is it also a coincidence that the "late entry" was faxed from Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation to somewhere only two days before that refusal? I think it is obvious that the folks at Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation falsify documents to protect themselves. It is also obvious that the NCDHSR who investigates them is so used to seeing this kind of thing that they just ignore it.
NCI advancemeds' investigation found several deficiencies, and they are not even trained to look at those kind of things, they basically work with numbers. It has always been obvious to me that the NCDHSR was covering for Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation, Now after reading the reports from NCI Advancemed my suspicions are confirmed.
You may ask, is there any real harm done if the NCDHSR looks the other way during their inspections. I would venture to say that the 189 people who died at Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation in 2011 might say yes. Along with the ones who died at Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation but were sent to Pardee to be pronounced. That is what happened to Mom, she had not had a heartbeat or breath for over twenty minutes and was still sent to the ER and billed for their services as well as the ambulance. Looks like fraud to me.
Is it normal for a health and rehabilitation to lose a patient every other day? I cant answer that I only have figures from Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation. I am assuming that most of them had the same doctor, Larry Joe Russell. He and his staff of PA's and FNP's are the ones who see most patients there. I personally wouldn't let Dr. Russell treat me for anything, statistics would prove my chances better with no treatment at all!
I have lots more information to share from the recent FOIA documents, keep watching it gets better.
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
Shame on Dr. Larry J. Russell and Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation
As the the school year comes to an end, I have one son finishing his freshman year in high school, and one graduating from college on the 8th. Their Grandmother would have been very proud of both of them. I feel sorry for them that Mom wont be there to share in their joy. She wasn't at my niece's wedding last May, or any other special events that she would have loved to attend.
I know she is looking down from above with pride as she watches all her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren and all their accomplishments. I know they all know how proud she is of each of them as well.
I think a lot about what happened with Mom at Hendersonville Health and Rehabliltation. I think about the lack of care that was provided by Dr. Larry J. Russell. I feel sorry for the others that this has and will continue to happen to. If these people are allowed to provide substandard care and get protected by the government agencies that are supposed to regulate them. There are going to be a lot of empty seats at graduations, weddings and Holiday meals!
Death of a parent is a major event in life. I lost my father in 2008, and it was life changing to say the least. However over the years it has changed me but I am at peace with his passing. Mom's death is another story. I cant even begin to explain how it feels to suspect that Mom didn't have to die. If they had taken proper care of her she would be going to my son's graduation. Of course, Dr. Russell would say that sudden death is common in that age group ( Mom was 76 ). And the NCDHSR would say they found no deficiencies at Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation. Although we have found several deficiencies that can be proven simply by the records. The NCDHSR wont even consider anything we could provide because of the time that has lapsed. The records are the records weather they are from today or five years ago.
If nothing is wrong with the inspection done by the NCDHSR, why did all the key players get transferred or disappear. Gail Maloney, the Western Regional Director of the NCDHSR , retired right after I met with the FBI. Susan Habel, the director of nursing at Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation, and Lara Mooney , the nurse that wrote the fictitious report of the fall, both gone. The medical examiner in Asheville who examined Mom at the mortuary, retired. Even the original FBI agent I spoke with transferred to another office.
Why did the NCDHSR review team write two different versions of their findings? Did they actually even look at the information? Neither of the versions they sent were accurate it was like they mixed the whole thing up.
I'm sure none of this really matters to the average reader, but trust me one day it will. We are all getting older , and this is a serious matter. No one is looking out for the elderly in these homes. There is no safe place for Mom or Dad when you can no longer take care of them. All these homes spend all their money on landscaping and fancy china. The nurses and cna's are overworked and underpaid. The doctors like Dr. Russell take money from Medicare and do little more than stick their head in the door on the initial visit. The nurses and cna's are the ones who take care of the patients, and they are always understaffed. In other words, the patient is left to fend for themselves however they are able. Most I've seen are barely to get out of bed, let alone fight for a meal or shower.
I know she is looking down from above with pride as she watches all her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren and all their accomplishments. I know they all know how proud she is of each of them as well.
I think a lot about what happened with Mom at Hendersonville Health and Rehabliltation. I think about the lack of care that was provided by Dr. Larry J. Russell. I feel sorry for the others that this has and will continue to happen to. If these people are allowed to provide substandard care and get protected by the government agencies that are supposed to regulate them. There are going to be a lot of empty seats at graduations, weddings and Holiday meals!
Death of a parent is a major event in life. I lost my father in 2008, and it was life changing to say the least. However over the years it has changed me but I am at peace with his passing. Mom's death is another story. I cant even begin to explain how it feels to suspect that Mom didn't have to die. If they had taken proper care of her she would be going to my son's graduation. Of course, Dr. Russell would say that sudden death is common in that age group ( Mom was 76 ). And the NCDHSR would say they found no deficiencies at Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation. Although we have found several deficiencies that can be proven simply by the records. The NCDHSR wont even consider anything we could provide because of the time that has lapsed. The records are the records weather they are from today or five years ago.
If nothing is wrong with the inspection done by the NCDHSR, why did all the key players get transferred or disappear. Gail Maloney, the Western Regional Director of the NCDHSR , retired right after I met with the FBI. Susan Habel, the director of nursing at Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation, and Lara Mooney , the nurse that wrote the fictitious report of the fall, both gone. The medical examiner in Asheville who examined Mom at the mortuary, retired. Even the original FBI agent I spoke with transferred to another office.
Why did the NCDHSR review team write two different versions of their findings? Did they actually even look at the information? Neither of the versions they sent were accurate it was like they mixed the whole thing up.
I'm sure none of this really matters to the average reader, but trust me one day it will. We are all getting older , and this is a serious matter. No one is looking out for the elderly in these homes. There is no safe place for Mom or Dad when you can no longer take care of them. All these homes spend all their money on landscaping and fancy china. The nurses and cna's are overworked and underpaid. The doctors like Dr. Russell take money from Medicare and do little more than stick their head in the door on the initial visit. The nurses and cna's are the ones who take care of the patients, and they are always understaffed. In other words, the patient is left to fend for themselves however they are able. Most I've seen are barely to get out of bed, let alone fight for a meal or shower.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)