Another Charitable Hospital settles Whistleblower Suit for Medicare Fraud

Articles such as these have led many commentators to question whether so-called charitable health care institutions are truly charitable. A recent report online states that Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center in Camden and Lourdes Medical Center of Burlington County in Willingboro will pay the government $7.95 million in response to allegations that the hospitals defrauded Medicare. This is not the first time Our Lady of Lourdes Health Care Services Inc. has been involved in litigation due to questionable billing practices. In 2005, Lourdes Medical Center was a defendant in a civil suit which stated that the hospital fraudulently inflated its charges to Medicare patients in order to collect enhanced reimbursements.

Stark & Stark Launches New Injury Focused Website

I am pleased to announce that Stark & Stark has launched a new website, offering visitors easy access to important legal information for those who have been seriously injured. The new site provides video blogs offering helpful tips, information for family members of those who have been in an accident and blogs discussing changes to laws impacting the field of personal injury.

In addition to the new injury website, the firm has also has redesigned its existing website in order to provide visitors with easier access to information on our attorneys and the many services Stark & Stark provides. The new site features updates on our community involvement, industry specific newsletters and information on all of blogs Stark & Stark provides.

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Highly Paid CEO's of Financially Struggling Hospitals

I read an interesting article on the New York Post online earlier this week discussing how even in these tough economic times, hospital presidents & CEOs are collecting large bonuses and incentive payments while the health-care systems continues to struggle. Apparently Wall Street executives aren’t the only ones. Read the full article online here to see what other benefits these top executives are receiving, at the cost of our loved ones.

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The Mercer County Geriatric Center To Be Sold

The Board of Chosen Freeholders resolved earlier this week to transfer ownership of The Mercer County Geriatric Center to the Mercer County Improvement Authority. The 240-bed nursing facility is being sold to a private entity in hopes of having the home run more efficiently, after years of monetary losses and poor quality ratings.

In 2008 the facility lost $7.4 million, and over $6.7 million in 2007.  Additionally, the losses were expected to continue to rise over the next several years, which would only increase the burden for taxpayers. The facility is staffed by 150 county employees and serves primarily residents on Medicare or Medicaid. Officials said they would try to persuade the new owner not to cut staff, and said that the county hopes to have the sale completed by June 2010, but added that no negotiations have yet been initiated.

Picking a nursing home but don't know where to begin?

Picking a nursing home to care for a loved one can be difficult and overwhelming.  You want the best care, but where to start?  What nursing homes are in the area?  Have they had any problems?  What services do they provide?  What are the right questions to ask?  Here is a great place to start.

Medicare keeps detailed records of all nursing homes, and rates them on a one-star to five-star scale. Its free, easy to access, objective, simple to read, and you can compare multiple nursing homes at the same time.  If your family member or loved one is currently in a nursing home, this website is also a great tool to see how your current nursing home compares to others.

 

Understaffing Causes Death in Nursing Home

An article out of Minneapolis, Minnesota last week reports of an 89-year old nursing home resident who, even with all of the proper precautions, died after a fatal fall. Despite a bed alarm, a motion sensor, a sound monitor and a perimeter mattress the resident fell in the middle of the night. Due to a severely understaffed wing, the resident died due to complications from the fall.