In February, an expose of elder abuse occurring at numerous US care facilities was published in the New York Times. This expose led to an investigation into deaths and substandard treatment launched by the Senate Finance Committee. This investigation will focus primarily on Select Medical Corporation, according to the New York Times report. Select boasts more long-term for-profit facilities than any other company, and operates 89 such facilities across the United States.
An incident that allegedly took place at a Select facility in Kansas was detailed in the Times. This incident involved the heart alarm of a dying patient sounding for 77 minutes before nursing staff eventually responded, leaving the patient in distress for well over an hour.
On March 8th, Senators Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) and Max Baucus (D-Montana, the committee’s chairman) demanded that additional information concerning the allegations be provided by Select. A spokeswoman for Select who viewed the Times article claimed that the report was inaccurate and misleading, thought Select does indicate that it will fully cooperate in the inquiry.
Former employees of Select have also lodged complaints against the company, which will likely be investigated. These former employees have provided details about a supposed discharge policy that appears to place profit as priority instead of the well-being of patients.
Hospitals that treat patients for 25 days or longer earn increased Medicare payments under Medicare rules. According to former employees of Select, the company attempts to keep patients for the full 25 day period, then immediately tries to discharge them so that they have room to care for another patient for 25 days in order to maximize Medicare profits. According to the New York Times report, some Select locations refer to the twenty-fifth day of a patients stay as the “magic day.”
It is a tragedy today how our elderly loved ones are treated in long-term care and elderly facilities. It seems that if they are not being neglected or abused in nursing homes, they are being used in other ways to help facilities gain profit, instead of being cared for in the proper manner.
If you suspect abuse or neglect of your loved one in a nursing home or elderly care facility, contact a reputable New York nursing home abuse attorney at once. Brown Chiari are New York personal injury attorneys with decades of legal experience.
