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Do nursing home residents suffer from the Profits Over People business model?
A recent article in the New York Times reported that a patient in a small Bronx nursing home was beaten to death by an employee.
The Bronx nursing home is owned by a for-profit private company – often a recipe for disaster when in a healthcare setting. The bottom line is to increase earnings and decrease spending. This strategy negatively affects nursing home standards for staffing levels and the quality of patient care.
Unfortunately many nursing home patients are given these powerful, mind-altering drugs to quiet them, but not to fix the problem that caused them to be upset in the first place.
This particular nursing home had many safety code violations. Patients were being injured without explanations and 45% of its patients were on psychotropic drugs for the first time. Many nursing home patients are given these powerful, mind-altering drugs to quiet them, but not to fix the problem that caused them to be upset in the first place.
Even in the best nursing homes, employees may find it challenging to attend to all the residents’ needs. Employees lack adequate training and aren’t given enough time to properly treat each resident. All of the patients’ risks and needs can not be properly addressed.
Nursing home care is very expensive. Medicare pays for short stays only. Medicaid covers people whose income and savings fall below an official minimum level. A lot of patients and their families have to pay cash for their nursing home stays and wind up spending their life’s savings for improper care.
- Is Medicaid not paying enough for patient care?
- Is Medicaid not setting high-enough care standards?
- Is the State not examining the quality of care provided to nursing home residents, or making sure staffing levels are adequate?
What questions do you have about harmful nursing home stays experienced by you or your loved ones?
Ron Katter
Katter Law Firm
Phone: 844-WAS-HURT
Alt Phone: 212-809-4293