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State uncovered many problems at Carriage Hill
Unannounced inspections of Carriage Hill nursing home turned up 'actual-harm' citations by state
Date published: 5/24/2007
BY JIM HALL
Carriage Hill Rehabilitation and Nursing Center was dropped from the federal Medicare program this month, 10 days after a resident strangled to death on a nurse-call cord.
But the resident's death was just one factor in the federal action. Carriage Hill's regulatory problems began more than six months ago when a resident fell from her bed and broke her nose.
Soon after that fall, inspectors from the Virginia Department of Health made a series of unannounced visits to the Spotsylvania County home. They inspected the home four times, beginning in December 2006, and each time they found problems.
"This facility tended to have 'actual-harm' citations almost every time we were there, so that drove us to go back to check on things," said Connie Kane, director of the state health department's division of long-term care.
Finally, on May 10, a federal official in Philadelphia notified Carriage Hill that it "no longer meets the requirements" of the Medicare program and would lose its federal payments for patients, beginning in early June.
Carriage Hill officials informed residents last week about Medicare's action and said that they also expect to lose Medicaid funding next month.
a pattern of problems
The incident that started this spiral happened on Nov. 1, 2006, when a certified nursing assistant, or CNA, was transferring a resident from her wheelchair to her bed, according to a December inspection report.
The CNA left the resident alone on the side of the bed for an instant. The resident fell from the bed and landed face first on the floor. The resident was taken by ambulance to the hospital, where she was treated for a broken nose and cuts on the forehead.
The resident was dependent on the staff for transferring to and from her bed, according to the inspection report. The state found that the CNA should have used a mechanical lift to transfer the resident.
Carriage Hill later fired the CNA when she continued to transfer patients improperly, according to the report.
Located on State Route 3 near Five-Mile Fork, Carriage Hill is home to about 140 people. It is one of the region's largest nursing homes and is operated by MediCorp Health System, parent company of Mary Washington Hospital.
| What about staffing?
The last four inspection reports for Carriage Hill Rehabilitation and Nursing Center do not mention the word "staffing."
State surveyors found fault with several aspects of Carriage Hill's operation, but they did not comment on whether the home had enough nurses and nurse assistants working there.
That's because neither the state nor the federal government sets staffing ratios for nursing homes.
"People want to pin the hat on staffing levels all the time," said Connie Kane, director of the division of long-term care for the Department of Health.
But staffing is one of "many, many things" that determines the quality of care offered by a nursing home, Kane said.
Just as important are the training and supervision of the staff and how much care the residents require, she said.
"I could find you a facility that had twice as much staff as the one down the street, but if they weren't well trained and they weren't well supervised, you might as well not have them in there," Kane said.
--Jim Hall |
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Read more stories about Spotsylvania
Date published: 5/24/2007
Most recent reader comments:
addendum
(posted by
free2bme
, Sep. 25, 2007 2:41 pm)
Do not blame a relationship between a former employee (now working as a state surveyor) and the former administrator. Do not bring other LTC facilities into this. Do not bring personal issues into this. We're in a professional business and therefore, we are grown-ups that should act as such and accept accountability. We have some things that definitely need to be worked on, but we are not bad people.
objectivity
(posted by
free2bme
, Sep. 25, 2007 2:41 pm)
As an employee, for well over a dozen years, at Carriage Hill, I (like many, many of my coworkers) are very upset over all of this. Our residents are our family--we've probably spent more holidays and actual time with them than our own blood relatives. Often, we not only "nurse" the resident themselves, but also their families. Our issues seem to stem from lack of knowledge of state and federal regs that Medicorp, and their designees did not keep us up-to-date on. We will make a comeback!!
CITY
(posted by
city
, Sep. 25, 2007 2:41 pm)
I will like to coment on all the stories being said so far about carriage hill, as an employee of carriage hill and medicorp let me tell you readers your coments are hurtful, we by no means are the worst, need to take a look at our neighboring nursing homes. at least we are making dramatic changes to improve the quality of the care we provide, give us the chance to prove to the comunity what we are all about.
inspector an enemy of administrator
(posted by
kmfajp
, Sep. 25, 2007 2:41 pm)
I don't remember reading that one of the inspectors used to work for the administrator and that they disliked one another. There are so many politics in this situation that the general public is oblivious to. If the inspectors had done their job then they would have mentioned the call bell problems prior to the actual death. The way the cords were attached to the rails had not changed from one visit to the next, so where were they on that one before the guy died? Oh, too busy picking at the administrator.
Think twice
(posted by
, Sep. 25, 2007 2:41 pm)
I don't think this forum should be for harsh feelings,it distracts from the issues at hand.I commend Medicorp's committment to correct these issues.I think we should keep in mind those who have loved ones there,and can only imagine how they may feel with other's speculation on the true care that is given.We should be mindful of these things and show more support for the aging population.As a community we should sustain Carriage Hill's endeavor to be the best it can be.I am proud to be an employee.
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