Profits over People: When Cost Cutting Leads to Neglect | Recently, data is exposing facilities that are most presumably overbilling and providing sub-standard care for their patients. In any institution, operations can range from admirable to dreadful in terms of care and treatment. Nursing homes, like many other institutions, have a variety of operations. Many Medicare and Medicaid patients are provided marginal care. Some institutions frequently overbill the government for the services they claim to offer.
Revenue
For-profit nursing homes are shown to submit the greatest quantity of invalid claims to the federal government. A recent study found that at least 30% of claims submitted by for-profit homes were inaccurate, compared to 12% of claims filed by nonprofit homes. In 2002, for-profit homes accumulated 72% of revenues within the industry sector and by 2010 had 78% of industry profits ($105 billion). The number of for-profit nursing homes is growing exponentially. For-profit hospices control more than half of all facilities, operating at least 96% of U.S. outpatient services. With an exceeding rate of more than 80%, dialysis clinics and home health care agencies are also operated by for-profit organizations. Cost-cutting and overbilling earn them 20% profit and money is returned to investors rather than being devoted to the care of patients. As a result, conflicts such as abuse/neglect, fraud, and waste have also amplified.
Abuse and Neglect
Nursing home neglect manifests when a caretaker fails to fulfill his or her duty to a resident. There are multiple degrees of abuse or neglect within care facilities Poor treatment of the patient results in numerous devastating ramifications. Victims of abuse and neglect are most likely to be injured in a nursing home, suffering from both physical and psychological injuries as primary consequences. These victims also have a 300% higher contingency of death compared to their non-victim peers.
Neglect is defined as failure to prevent and assist, medical neglect, and physical neglect. Failure to prevent and assist is a form of neglect including failures to assist residents in bathing, drinking, eating, ignoring cries for help, isolation, and toileting. Medical neglect includes the administration of improper medication, failure to provide applicable medical care, or providing inadequate access to medical aid. Physical neglect occurs as incorrect body positioning, lack of toileting, and poor bathing techniques. With varying degrees of abuse and neglect, it can prove difficult for victims and family members to identify the signs. Distinct signs and symptoms such as bedsores or pressure sores, dehydration or malnutrition, loss of weight, poor hygiene, unsanitary living conditions, and untreated health complications can be used to expose such neglect.
Taking Action
Sadly, many nursing homes have a poor reputation of underpaying members of staff and failing to provide their staff with the necessary training. Consequently, abuse and neglect cases are frequently on the rise due to inadequate and subpar care practices. Money is the primary reason these for-profit homes exist and they often respond best when they face legal action and the possibility of damage awards. When any immediate danger involving a resident of a nursing facility is present, the police should be called right away. If no immediate danger is prominent, the administrator of the facility, Department of Public Health, and the state’s ombudsman can all be alerted. When nursing home abuse or neglect is exposed or suspected a nursing home neglect attorney can help with these processes.
The legal system upholds an essential role in keeping all residents safe while in nursing home facilities. When nursing homes are held accountable for their inadequate care by the legal system, other facilities within the industry are given an important message. Abuse, neglect, and substandard care of the elderly will not be condoned.
