By Erin Wisdom, St. Joseph News-Press, Mo.
Jun. 15–An area nursing home has made improvements in order to continue receiving payment from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
CMS announced in March that its agreement with Clinton Care and Rehab Center in Plattsburg, Mo., would be terminated June 3 due to the center failing to substantially comply with Medicare regulations. CMS removed this denial due to visits made to the facility on May 7 and June 2 that showed corrections had been made.
The main factor that kept the center from completing its corrections until right before the termination date was a requirement that it come up with an alternative power source to run its sprinkler system, said Shane McClain, assistant chief financial officer for Health Systems Inc., which manages Clinton Care and Rehab Center.
“A few years ago, we had to install a fire pump to run the sprinkler system, but it was determined that that was not a reliable power source,” he said. “Other than that, we had some nursing deficiencies that were never on the serious side.”
Documents provided by Paul Shumate, chief of the survey, certification and enforcement branch of CMS’ Kansas City regional office, detail the deficiencies the center showed between December 2007 and February 2008, as well as the center’s plans to correct them.
These included a failure to meet safety codes such as requirements to have smoke-barrier doors that fit properly and close completely, to show verification that all wallpaper is fire-resistant and to have battery-powered emergency lights on the building’s exterior.
Deficiencies were also listed in the care of some residents sampled and included a failure to follow physicians’ orders in applying splints or braces, to provide daily oral and incontinent care for every resident in need of them and to always follow the proper procedure for lifting and moving residents who aren’t fully mobile.
The center’s plan for correcting these and other deficiencies in nursing care included making sure all residents receive services in accordance with their individual plans of care and that all staff who work as nurse’s aides demonstrate competency through satisfactory participation in an approved training program.
Erin Wisdom can be reached
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