Evidence of Fraud and Nursing Home Malpractice Leads New Jersey to Suspend Two Nursing Homes from Medicaid:
In the wake of a New York lawsuit alleging their owners took millions in Medicare funds from their New York nursing homes to enrich themselves, New Jersey has planned to suspend two poor-performing New Jersey nursing homes from receiving Medicare.
New Jersey is planning to suspend two nursing homes from Medicaid in light of evidence of substantial Medicare fraud by their owners and as a result of poor care amounting to nursing home malpractice, says a Philadelphia Inquirer article. Both Deptford Center for Rehabilitation and Healthcare and Hammonton Center for Rehabilitation and Healthcare will be suspended from Medicaid by the New Jersey Comptroller’s Medicaid Fraud Unit as of May 25.
The owners of the Deptford and Hammonton facilities, Kenneth Rozenberg, Beth Rozenberg, and Daryl Hagler, have been sued by New York Attorney General Letitia James for allegedly using $83 million in Medicare funds from four of their New York nursing homes for their own personal enrichment. The lawsuit also accuses the owners of subjecting their residents to nursing home malpractice in the form of substandard care as a result of poor staffing. According to the lawsuit, the owners’ New York nursing home residents were victims of nursing home malpractice across the following forms as a consequence of the alleged fraud:
- Prolonged Neglect: Residents were left sitting in their own urine and feces for extended periods of time.
- Nursing home infections: Substandard wound care and neglect of bed sores led certain residents to develop serious infections and even sepsis, a frequently deadly condition that ultimately could require the involvement of a wrongful death attorney.
- Dehydration and malnutrition: As a result of neglect, residents experienced severe dehydration and malnutrition, both of which can be fatal for the vulnerable elderly, demanding the intervention of a wrongful death attorney.
- Nursing home falls: Some residents experienced severe injuries from falls; others died, says the lawsuit. Families whose loved ones suffer a fatal fall in a nursing home should contact a wrongful death attorney.
Like the New York homes, Deptford Center and Hammonton Center also have histories of substandard care equating to nursing home malpractice. As per the Inquirer article, both facilities have received numerous citations for health and safety violations. Both the Deptford and Hammonton facilities have been given one-star quality ratings on the federal Nursing Home Care Compare web site.
According to the Inquirer, New Jersey’s long-term care ombudsman Laurie Facciarossa Brewer called the suspension of the two nursing homes “richly deserved.” New Jersey State Comptroller Kevin Walsh defended the scheduled plan to suspend the homes in a press release.
“When there is evidence of fraud of this magnitude, and when a judge has acted to prevent further siphoning and self-dealing, we have a duty to act,” said Walsh. “To protect New Jersey Medicaid and the residents who rely on it, we must stop the flow of Medicaid funds to these individuals, and we must require them to step aside.”
Fighting Against Neglectful Care, Elder Abuse, and Wrongful Death
Attorney Brian P. Murphy is dedicated to protecting the safety and preserving the rights of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, or New Jersey nursing home residents. As a seasoned nursing home malpractice and wrongful death attorney, Brian Murphy endeavors to hold accountable those Philadelphia/PA or NJ nursing homes responsible for negligence and abuse and every kind of nursing home malpractice. Should you find yourself needing to contact a nursing home malpractice and wrongful death attorney, or if you need guidance in choosing a nursing home, call Brian Murphy today.
