Oklahoma Nursing Home Loses Funding Due to Violations

More than two dozen nursing home residents are being forced to move out of an Oklahoma nursing home after the long-term care facility lost Medicare and Medicaid funding.

The Health Department has pulled the certification of Care Living Center because of deficiencies found by state health inspectors. The deficiencies centered on medical and nursing neglect.

State inspectors cited the facility for immediate jeopardies, a situation where there is imminent danger to the health, safety and welfare of the residents.

Inspectors found the following

• A resident with 17 pressure sores who was not receiving appropriate treatment
• Residents who were not being turned
• Residents who were not being cleaned
• Residents who experienced extreme weight loss
• Residents were not receiving assistance with meals
• Residents were not being fed
• Inadequate number of staff to answer call lights
• Staff members who were poorly trained
• Paitents wandering from the facility
• Not isolating residents with infectious diseases
• Not monitoring blood pressure of residents with hypertension or strokes

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services allows a maximum of three visits to a facitliy. Once the deficiencies are cited, the facility has three opportunities to fix the problems. If the problems are not fixed within the three visits, the facility’s Medicare/Medicaid agreement is terminated.

The residents affected by the termination have 30 days to find another facility. The facility has been making phone calls to other long-term care facilities to find openings for them.

Except in emergencies, nursing homes must give a 30-day written notice of their plan to discharge or transfer you. You have the right to appeal a transfer to another facility. It is important to know that the closing facility is responsible for assisting the resident to move.

In Wisconsin, the state also monitors the process and assists the resident in moving.  The state, along with county human services agencies, meets on a weekly basis with the closing nursing home to review relocation plans of each person living in the home.  The Board of Aging and Long Term Care and its long term care ombudsmen represent the residents during this process.

An ombudsman and the BOALTC can ensure that residents are given informed choices that include opportunities to visit proposed alternate living arrangements.

If you or a loved one is confronted with a relocation predicament, make sure to contact your ombudsman to make sure your rights are protected.  For more information on how to contact your BOALTC or an ombudsman, please call our personal injury law firm today at 414-333-3333 .