Ronica Shannon
An August report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) listed Richmond Health and Rehabilitation Complex — better known as Madison Manor — among the worst nursing homes in the nation.
“We estimated that almost 4 percent — or 580 — of the nation’s roughly 16,000 nursing homes could be considered the most poorly performing,” the report reads.
The GAO works as the audit, evaluation and investigative arm of Congress. Titles XVIII and XIX of the Social Security Act establish minimum requirements that all nursing homes must meet to participate in the Medicare and Medicaid program.
According to the GAO’s mission, it “... exists to support Congress in meeting its constitutional responsibilities and to help improve the performance and accountability of the federal government for the American people.”
The GAO nationwide performance audit of federally funded nursing homes began in February 2008 and concluded in August.
The Kentucky Inspector General’s Office, Cabinet for Health and Family Services, is aware of the GAO’s findings and acting inspector general Kerry Harvey said it is something the office takes very seriously.
“As the state’s regulatory agency for long-term care facilities, we are charged with making sure facilities are in compliance with Medicare health and safety standards,” Harvey said. “We want the public to understand, failure to comply with these regulatory standards is a very serious issue that can lead to monetary penalty, denial of payment for new admissions, and in some cases decertification from the Medicare /Medicaid program. The safety of the residents of Kentucky’s nursing facilities always has been and will remain our top priority.”
For-profit nursing homes and/or those affiliated with a commercialized chains are more likely to receive a poor report, according to the GAO.
Nursing homes that fell under one or both of these categories “... had an average of almost 24 percent fewer registered nurse hours per resident per day.”
To determine the characteristics of the most poorly performing nursing homes, “... we analyzed deficiencies and revisits from the three most recent cycles — that is, the three most recent standard surveys,” the report reads.
This is not the first federal list of troubled nursing homes in which Madison Manor has been featured.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services added the facility to its “Special Focus Facilities” list in April.
Aside from this, the facility was named in a lawsuit, and three nursing home employees were indicted.
The family of the late Armeda Thomas, 84, of Irvine, hid a video camera in her room at the facility in September, 2008, to document the behavior of employees at the facility.
Three former Madison Manor employees, Jaclyn Dawn VanWinkle, Amanda G. Sallee and Valerie Lamb, were indicted by Madison grand juries on charges of patient abuse.
VanWinkle pleaded guilty earlier this year to a single count of reckless abuse or neglect of an adult, Sallee’s trial date is set for March 15, 2010, in Madison Circuit Court and Lamb was scheduled to appear in Madison District Court on Monday on a single count of reckless abuse or neglect of an adult.
Sallee is accused of denying Thomas her food between Sept. 1 and Sept. 5, 2008. The indictment alleges Sallee ate Thomas’ meals herself.
The video showed several employees appearing to neglect and mistreat Thomas, who died in November 2008 from complications related to Alzheimer’s disease.
If convicted, Sallee could receive up to five years in prison.
Other Kentucky nursing homes that made the GAO’s poor performance list include: Cambridge Place, Lexington; Britthaven, Somerset; Salyersville Health Care Center, Salyersville; Villaspring, Erlanger; Pembroke Nursing Home, Pembroke; Arbor Place, Clinton; and Harborside Healthcare Nursing Homes, Florence, Madisonville and Owensboro.
Visit www.gao.gov to find a full copy of the report.
Ronica Shannon can be reached at rshannon@richmondregister.com or 624-6608.
