Xenia nursing home could get cut off from Medicare, Medicaid

A Xenia nursing home could lose its ability to accept patients paying with Medicare and Medicaid, after being cited several times for patient care problems, federal records show.

U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has given notice to Hospitality Center for Rehabilitation and Healing that it plans to end the nursing home’s agreement with the two insurance programs on April 10.

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Nursing home administrator Jillian Douglas said “at this time we will share with you that we are fully cooperating with CMS (Medicare & Medicaid Services) as well as the Ohio Department of Health to ensure we are compliant with their request. We are continuing to provide the highest level of care to our residents and will achieve compliance.”

The nursing home at 1301 N. Monroe Drive has 99 beds and about 90 employees, according to state inspections.

The termination notice was posted online March 26 and claims the nursing home has “failed to attain substantial compliance” with federal rules when it comes to quality of care; freedom from abuse, neglect and exploitation; food and nutrition services; resident rights; resident assessments; comprehensive resident centered care plans; lab, radiology and other diagnostic services; infection control; emergency preparedness and life safety code.

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The process started Oct. 10 when, according to state citations, a nursing home resident fractured her femur when she was transferred from a bed to a wheelchair by one aide using a lift device when the resident was supposed to be transferred by two aides. The resident fractured her femur when her leg was bent backwards during the transfer, according to a citation.

A state nursing home inspector said in a citation report the aide did not report the incident to the administrator until the next day, the aide was not suspended in a timely manner during the investigation because she was not suspended until the end of her shift, and the inspector also said the administrator should have self-reported the incident to the state agency.

When nursing homes are cited for rule violations, they must submit a plan to correct the violations and complete the plan or risk further penalties.

On Oct. 25, the Ohio Department of Health, which is in charge of nursing home inspections, said in a letter to the nursing home that it wasn’t yet in “substantial compliance” with Medicare and Medicaid’s rules.

Inspectors revisited the nursing home on Nov. 5, Nov. 29 and Feb. 6, and concluded the nursing home was still not complying with the rules.

And then on March 7, state inspectors looked into an additional complaint at the nursing home and found a licensed practical nurse on Feb. 15 grabbed a nursing home resident by the chin while saying “you are not going to hit me” and then punched him in the stomach. The report states the LPN was immediately suspended and then fired.

The report states the nursing home resident was hallucinating and had kicked the LPN and hit her in the ear.

Officials with CMS said state inspectors will make a surprise visit before April 10 and if the problems are fixed, the threat of getting cut off from Medicaid and Medicare will be lifted, according to the federal agency.

Medicaid covers long-term residents and Medicare covers residents who are staying for a short time for rehabilitation. While Medicaid is run by the state of Ohio, it is funded by state and federal money and the federal government is authorized to end the nursing home’s relationship with the state program.

Xenia resident Amanda Fraley said her great grandmother and both her father and mother had stayed at the nursing home, which is where her sister also works. She disagreed with Medicare’s plans to stop paying for resident’s stays the facility.

“This is a caring place. They go to meet your needs,” she said.

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