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DOJ Files False Claims Suit Against Nursing Homes Over “Substandard Services and Nonexistent” Care

By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law

On June 15, 2022, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced it has sued three nursing homes in Ohio and Pennsylvania, citing their “grossly substandard skilled nursing services.” The False Claims Act (FCA) complaint against the American Health Foundation (AHF), its affiliate AHF Management Corporation, and three nursing homes alleges the facilities fraudulently billed the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for often “nonexistent care.”

According to the complaint, all three AHF nursing homes not only provided substandard nursing home care services that failed to meet required standards of care but also did not maintain adequate staffing levels between 2016 and 2018.

Click here to view the complaint filed by the DOJ in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

FCA Violations For “Substandard […]

CMS Drops Florida Nursing Home From Medicare Program After 14 Patients Died During Storm

By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law

On October 12, 2017, federal health officials announced they are dropping a Florida nursing home from the Medicare program after 14 patients died allegedly as a result of the Hurricane Irma emergency. On Sept. 13, 2017, eight residents died and the others were evacuated from the Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills after the facility lost air conditioning. Six more have since died, which attorneys say was a result of the conditions and evacuations immediately after the storm.

CMS Sanctions.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) said in a statement that the facility will be terminated “due to their [sic] failure to meet Medicare’s basic health and safety requirements.” CMS also imposed a penalty of $20,965 a […]

CMS Drops Florida Nursing Home From Medicare Program After 14 Patients Died During Storm

By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law

On October 12, 2017, federal health officials announced they are dropping a Florida nursing home from the Medicare program after 14 patients died allegedly as a result of the Hurricane Irma emergency. On Sept. 13, 2017, eight residents died and the others were evacuated from the Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills after the facility lost air conditioning. Six more have since died, which attorneys say was a result of the conditions and evacuations immediately after the storm.

CMS Sanctions.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) said in a statement that the facility will be terminated “due to their [sic] failure to meet Medicare’s basic health and safety requirements.” CMS also imposed a penalty of $20,965 a day for the three days that Hollywood Hills […]

Trump Administration Reverses Guidelines for Penalties Against Nursing Homes

By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law

The Trump administration is actively reversing nursing home guidelines previously put in place under President Barack Obama. The current administration is scaling back the use of fines against nursing homes that harm residents or place them in grave risk of injury.

The change in the Medicare program’s penalty protocols was requested by the nursing home industry. The American Health Care Association (AHCA) has complained that under President Obama, inspectors focused excessively on catching wrongdoing rather than helping nursing homes improve or prevent them.

Serious Violations.

Since 2013, federal records show that nearly 6,500 nursing homes have been cited at least once for a serious violation. Common citations include failing to protect residents from avoidable accidents, neglect, mistreatment and bedsores.

In 2017, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services […]

Trump Administration Reverses Guidelines for Penalties Against Nursing Homes

By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law

The Trump administration is actively reversing nursing home guidelines previously put in place under President Barack Obama. The current administration is scaling back the use of fines against nursing homes that harm residents or place them in grave risk of injury.

The change in the Medicare program’s penalty protocols was requested by the nursing home industry. The American Health Care Association (AHCA) has complained that under President Obama, inspectors focused excessively on catching wrongdoing rather than helping nursing homes improve or prevent them.

Serious Violations.

Since 2013, federal records show that nearly 6,500 nursing homes have been cited at least once for a serious violation. Common citations include failing to protect residents from avoidable accidents, neglect, mistreatment and bedsores.

In 2017, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) […]