Now that government-owned nursing homes around the country can draw from the federally funded Minimum Payment Amounts Program, hundreds of cash-starved facilities in Texas have signed up to claim this supplemental public funding. Since this funding is not available to nursing homes that are privately owned, local governments have assumed ownership of around 200 nursing homes around the state over the last year.
Though many industry leaders have applauded the program as a means to make improvements to aging facilities around the state, serious concerns have been expressed about what the shift in nursing home ownership will mean for nursing home residents and their families. As reported by The Texas Tribune, critics point out that there are strict limitations as to what legal action may be taken against local governments—a protection that would extend to nursing homes owned by local governments.
Additionally, as more nursing homes fall under the ownership of local governments and associated hospital districts, some local entities have become responsible for facilities that fall outside of their local jurisdiction. While these arrangements are intended to improve the quality of care as individuals transition between hospitals and nursing homes, J.T. Borah of Hotze Runkle PLLC told The Texas Tribune that the arrangement is suspect.
“This would place a huge burden on family members who are wanting to be very involved in their relative’s care,” Borah told the Tribune’s Edgar Walters.
Given the serious nature of the various problems that are inherent to nursing home facilities that are owned by hospital districts and local governments, you should take a moment to reconsider all of the options that may be available to you and your loved ones.
A recent study has found that one in five Medicare patients has sustained injuries from treatment unrelated to their existing medical condition.
Patients are sometimes given the wrong medication, have allergic reactions to certain medications, or receive treatments that exasperate their existing medical conditions.
Lead researcher and gerontology program director at Towson University in Maryland, Mary Carter, said the study consisted of data from over 12,500 Medicare beneficiaries between 1998 and 2005, with 19% of them having suffered from at least one adverse medical event.
Yale University Prevention Research Center director and American College of Lifestyle Medicine president Dr. David Katz mentioned that “medical care, while pledged to avoid harm above all, actually imposes quite a bit of it. Medical injury is all too common, and adverse effects of treatment are common, even in the absence of error.”
Nursing home residents should be able to spend the rest of their years relaxing, not worrying about whether they will be harmed by negligent medical personnel. As such, if your loved one is in a nursing home and has been the victim of abuse, legal action can be taken against the negligent party. Contact our Austin attorneys at Hotze Runkle PLLC by dialing (877) 919-0830.
Earlier this year, the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services announced that it would be cutting approximately $1 billion in revenues for audits and investigations.
Although some view this cutback as an appropriate and well-timed reduction of “excessive actions” by “watchdogs” like the OIG and others, others fear that such a cutback and reduction in oversight could lead to an increase in instances of neglect and / or abuse for long-term care facility patients.
At Hotze Runkle PLLC, our attorneys are dedicated to helping victims of nursing home abuse and neglect fight back against such inexcusable mistreatment. If a lack of appropriate oversight has resulted in you or a loved one suffering abuses in an assisted living facility, call our experienced team today at (877) 919-0830 for the compassionate help that you need.