Pennsylvania Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog

Earlier this month, the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced an initiative to reduce the use of antipsychotic drugs on nursing home patients with dementia by 15 percent by the end of the year. It’s an effort that will put the focus on trying other methods to control the behavior of patients with Alzheimer’s or other similar diseases, instead of relying on medication.

According to an article on the Post-Gazette.com, many dementia patients are known to lash out as part of their condition. But government officials, nursing home industry leaders, and patient care advocates agree that heavily medicating them is not the answer.

In the article, Jules Rose, chief of geriatric psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, is quoted as saying, “It’s often related to care activities in which the [patient] becomes frightened, bewildered, apprehensive, very anxious – they don’t know what’s happening and may resist care or may actually strike out. What has happened culturally is the knee-jerk reaction of many staff and many doctors to prescribe these drugs, that it will calm them down. It serves that purpose for some people, and doesn’t for others.”

Next month a judge will determine whether property inside St. Catherine Medical Center Fountain Springs can be sold or if the business can be sold in its entirety.

According to an article on the RepublicanHerald.com, the trustee would like to offer for pubic sale the personal property, which he says in the in the best interest of the estate and creditors. It would not include selling the land or building.

However, Saint Catherine Healthcare of Pennsylvania LLC, The Boulder Intestment Trust and Windriver Corp. of WY LLC filed an objection to the trustee’s request, and are hoping the property can become a hospital again.

It’s estimated that nearly 27 million Americans live with osteoarthritis, a type of joint disorder due to aging and wear on a joint. Symptoms include aching, swollen, or stiff knees. For most sufferers, an ibuprofen may relieve the pain. For other patients, a more invasive treatment is necessary. Viscosupplementation involves injecting into the knee hyaluronic acid, a lubricating fluid found naturally in the knee. But a new study questions the effects of this type of treatment.

According to an article on CNN.com, researchers at the Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine at the University of Bern in Switzerland have said this treatment “has minimal benefits and potential for harm.” They discourage the use of this treatment.

But Dr. John Richmond, Chairman of the Orthopedics Department at New England Baptist Hospital disagrees, and said, “We have an epidemic of osteoarthritis of the knee and we have limited treatment options. This needs to remain one of those limited treatment options and should be used appropriately by the physician giving it.”

According to a press release from the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue, the deadline for applying for Pennsylvania’s Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program for older adults and those with disabilities has been extended from June 30 to December 31.

Those who are eligible include Pennsylvania residents who are age 65 and older; widows and widowers age 50 and older; and people with disabilities age 18 and older. The income limit is $35,000 a year for homeowners and $15,000 annually for renters. Half of Social Security income is excluded. The maximum standard rebate is $650, but those who qualify can receive rebates as high as $975. Distribution will begin on July 1 for those who have already applied.

Claim forms for the Property Tax/Rent Rebate (PA-1000), as well as other information on applying, can be found online at www.revenue.state.pa.us or by calling 1-888-222-9190.

About 100 volunteers from Home Depot will build eight raised gardens at senior living centers and nursing homes in Allegheny, Butler and Washington counties to give residents in wheelchairs and walkers the opportunity to plant flower and vegetable gardens as they may have done at home.
According to a recent story in the Beaver County Times, last year Mike Durham, a Penn State master gardener coordinated the plot layout for the Senior Gardens on county-owned land in Brighton Township and hoped the design would be used in nursing facilities.
Durham’s original design will be adapted to accommodate each site and a $7,000 grant from Home Depot’s Team Depot program will cover the cost of materials. Several companies have also agreed to donate soil and plants.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health announced recently that Schuylkill Center along with three other nursing facilities received the state’s new “Award for Excellence in Health Care Compliance.”

According to Department of Health Secretary Dr. Eli N. Avila the department believes it is important to inform the public of those facilities that go above and beyond the rest in hopes of inspiring other nursing homes to strive to earn the award in the future.

Foulkeways at Gwynedd, and The Meadows at Shannondale, Audubon, both in Montgomery County; and Pennsylvania Hospital Skilled Care Center, Philadelphia, were also honored.

The Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority focused its 2011 annual report of the programs and collaborations that focused on preventing wrong-site surgery and decreasing health-care associated infections.

Stanton N. Smullens, M.D., acting chairman of the authority said in a news release that the authority broadened its scope of educational activities and increased the number of courses and collaborations to include areas such as reducing healthcare-associated infections in ambulatory surgical facilities. He said because of the increase in programs as well as the Patient Safety Liaison program, the attendance at the programs has more than doubled.

The Patient Liaison program began in 2008 as a way to ensure Patient Safety Officers are aware of the resources available to them from the authority and other safety leaders.

According to the Erie Times News, the state board will hear a dispute over proposed changes to a pension plan of employees at Pleasant Ridge Manor, Fairview Township and Pleasant Ridge Manor-East, Millcreek Township, both owned by Erie County.

AFSME, the union representing the employees has filed an injunction and an unfair labor practice complaint with PLRB arguing that under state law, pension changes must be negotiated through the union.

According to court information, the county council approved a hybrid pension change that allows about half of the almost 360 nursing home employees to continue to accrue benefits while for the other half, pension accrual would stop. Those employees and others hired after January 1 could opt into a new 401(k) in which Pleasant Ridge would match dollar for dollar, the first three percent of the employee’s contribution. The county wants the pension changed as part of a cost savings measure that also includes consolidating the two facilities.

The state Department of Public Welfare recently released the 2011 Adult Residential Care Licensing report.

The report highlights the department’s efforts to keep personal care homes safe for Pennsylvania residents.

According to a news release, DPW licensed 1,326 personal care homes, providing care to 47,000 adults with physical or mental disabilities who require help with tasks such as bathing, dressing, or medication management.

A recent analysis by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Inspector General is reporting that many U.S. nursing homes do not have adequate plans in place in case of natural disasters.

According to an article on McKnight’s Long-Term Care News, emergency plans for some long-term facilities were missing information, including only about half of the tasks that are found on the checklist for facility responses provided by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

In the article, the report states, “Nursing homes faced challenges with unreliable transportation contracts, lack of collaboration with local emergency management, and residents who developed health problems. LTC ombudsmen were often unable to support nursing home residents during disaster; most had no contact with residents until after the disasters.”