Government Standards vs. Management Standards
Posted by Kim on January 22nd, 2007 / Print This Post
Different people have different standards of what is good care and what is not. For the most part, the US Government defines good care with minimum standards. These standards are OK but do not call for excellence. So, when a nursing home is cited by the government for problems, I would expect the place to be very bad indeed.
Danger at a local nursing home. Health officials say a Jackson County facility is putting its patients at risk. Just off I-94 in Grass Lake sits a 77-year-old farmhouse, now converted to the Cedar Knoll Care Center, and inside the doors, 110 nursing home patients receive round the clock care.Phil Troyer, Red Oak Health Care Mgt.: “I think we are doing everything to ensure their safety.”
But the state department that oversees nursing homes disagrees, citing the center for ongoing and serious safety issues. The most recent state inspection at Cedar Knoll uncovered 25 violations, including patients exposed to cold temperatures without proper covering, beds with improper siderails and a patient suffering from bedsores. Cedar Knoll’s management insists the center is dedicated to improving conditions for its residents.
Phil Troyer: “We don’t allow things to go unfixed, we do take care of them, and continuously on a day-to-day basis.”
But the state isn’t satisfied, and is asking the federal government to terminate Cedar Knoll’s Medicare/Medicaid status.
Phil Troyer: “That would effectively shut us down.”
It’s a scary prospect for the elderly patients and those who care for them.
Phil Troyer: “We want the best for our residents, for our employees and for the community.”
But whether Cedar Knoll truly is what’s best remains to be seen. The US Center for Medicare-Medicaid services is currently reviewing Cedar Knoll’s case and will decide whether or not to pull the facility’s license.
The states inspect the nursing homes on behalf of the federal government; states must also follow the government standards and their own higher standards as well. The management of this home has different ideas about what is safe and what isn’t.