New York Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog

Beth Abraham Health Services, a Bronx (NYC) nursing home facility, was recently fined $21,150 by the federal government based on findings of substandard care in a April 27, 2009 inspection, according to a Long-Term Care Community Coalition report. The facility was sanctioned due to its failure to properly monitor and act upon a 66 year-old resident's PT/INR levels.

The staff at the Bronx facility failed to obtain PT/INR readings for a 7 day period. The resident was administered her normal Coumadin doses over the 7 days. Coumadin is an anticoagulant with a known risk of causing bleeds. The resident presented at a nearby hospital with critical lab values (an INR of 10 - normal range is 2-3), and then died at the hospital 2 days later from a bleed in the brain.

The facility was also cited for not having a written policy in place regarding the reporting of critical lab values.

In a March 9, 2009 survey conducted at Rivington House - The Nicholas A. Rango Health Care Facility , a Manhattan (NYC) nursing facility, surveyors found that the NYC facility failed to develop and implement policy and procedures to track and monitor laboratory orders and results. The 52 year-old resident that was the subject of the investigation was admitted to the facility with a medical history of Coronary Artery Disease, status post a bypass graft, and Hypercholesteremia.

The resident had been prescribed Coumadin for DVT prophylaxis after the bypass graft surgery. However, PT/INR (Prothrombin Time/ International Normalized Ratio) tests were not performed for two consecutive weeks as ordered. Once recognized, the resident was admitted to the hospital with critical lab values, and then subsequently expired at the hospital due to a cerebral hemorrhage.

The surveyors found that the NYC facility had no system in place to ensure that all physician laboratory orders, specifically standing orders, are completed. They also found that Rivington House failed to implement a system to ensure that the labs were actually drawn and the results subsequently obtained. As a result of the surveyors' findings and the facility's neglect, Rivington House was fined $45,750 in federal sanctions.

A former nursing assistant in an Illinois nursing home recently admitted in court that she failed to properly ascertain the whereabouts of all residents after a door alarm sounded at approximately 2 am in the winter. Instead of conducting a bed check after the alarm sounded, the nursing assistant returned to watching television. She later conducted a bed check at approximately 5 am and found that an 89 year-old resident was missing.

The resident's frozen body was discovered in the courtyard of the facility. She had fallen and injured her chin and leg, and eventually died from hypothermia. Local police also reported that the aide tried to cover-up the incident by returning her to her bed and changing her clothes. A civil lawsuit has been commenced by the resident's family alleging nursing home neglect and abuse and wrongful death.

A lawsuit has been filed in Suffolk County, NY alleging that staff at South Oaks Hospital in Amityville, NY failed to properly monitor three of their patients, resulting in the deaths of all three. The lawsuit further alleges that the Hospital staff doctored patient records in order to cover-up the incidents.

For additional information regarding this case, please visit the link below.

Website Resources:

Dad files suit after son dies in Amityville drug rehab, Newsday, Ann Givens, September 2, 2009.

Two Orange County nursing homes have been fined for care (or lack therof) that resulted in the wrongful death of two residents. At Alamitos West, an 82 year-old resident died from dehydration after the nursing home failed to provide sufficient fluids. Investigators found that intake and output records were blank and/or illegible over the course of the resident's admission.

Staff at Huntington Valley Nursing Home failed to resuscitate a resident because they mistakenly believed that a Do Not Resuscitate order was on file. In fact, the resident's chart indicated that the family specifically requested that CPR be administered if necessary. By the time paramedics arrived, the resident had passed away.

As a result of these incidents, Alamitos West was fined $100,000 and Huntington Valley was fined $80,000.

Website Resources:

2 Orange County nursing homes fined for patient deaths, Los Angeles Times, Rong-Gong Lin II, June 11, 2009