[NRSKarenRN]

This should be interesting....The suits allege the facilities pocketed millions of taxpayer dollars while covering up their own mistakes.
Karen

Found at healthleadersmedia.com:


Erin Brockovich takes role as plaintiff in Medicare suits

Erin Brockovich has a famous name, Hollywood good looks, an agent and a new cause: Medicare. Her seven lawsuits, filed Friday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, allege that healthcare companies are charging Medicare, the federally funded health plan for seniors, to treat illnesses they helped cause by medical error or neglect.

Los Angeles Times, June 7, 2006

[weirdRN]

This is interesting.

Does medicare pay for treatment of things like treating skin breakdown?

[indigo girl]

Originally Posted by NRSKarenRN

This should be interesting....The suits allege the facilities pocketed millions of taxpayer dollars while covering up their own mistakes.
Karen

Found at healthleadersmedia.com:


Erin Brockovich takes role as plaintiff in Medicare suits

Erin Brockovich has a famous name, Hollywood good looks, an agent and a new cause: Medicare. Her seven lawsuits, filed Friday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, allege that healthcare companies are charging Medicare, the federally funded health plan for seniors, to treat illnesses they helped cause by medical error or neglect.

Los Angeles Times, June 7, 2006

Disturbing. Karen, you may remember years ago in Philly when two nursing homes that were owned by a chain, came under fire by the attorney general. The directors of nursing of both, as well as the administrators were arrested and booked at the Round House. All women, I knew well as I worked for the chain also thru their nursing agency. Neglect was the charge regarding some patients who had very large decubiti, and there was something about restraints also. Nevermind, that these people probably had the decubiti on admission as well as being malnourished. Our patients came from disadvantaged homes in West Philly, mostly. Busloads of staff, were sent before the grand jury from Philly to Pittsburg to testify. I was not involved, thank God, but easily could have been if I had been covering those units as a supervisor. Nothing came of this. It was all dismissed. Later the attorney general who wanted to be governor, was convicted of rackateering, I think. The lives of those nurses and administrators were turned up side down. Two of them had babies, one breast feeding (she was not allowed to do this from jail. One administrator was on antihypertensive meds which she did not have with her at the jail.

Medicare errors can be construed in many ways. It could be a charting error or a wrong diagnosis code.

[snowfreeze]

After 20 years or more of self health care neglect or denial by a mentally sound person, why am I the taxpayer now responsible for their care?
How many times have you admitted a patient from the ER who has not seen a doctor in 20 or 30 years, happens often for me. Lived a good life, not a smoker or drinker, just worked in a mill or mine or just raised kids for their now dead husband. Now they have some kind of dementia or lung CA or prostate problems or renal failure or new diabetes diagnosis. They are 'madder than a wet hen', they have been healthy all their life, never took any pills and went to church all the time. And they are 90 years old. Who put them here in the hospital? Did their kids do it?, did the neighbor call because their mail piled up? Why do we need to keep people alive forever? The human body isn't meant to live forever. Maybe we need to look at the person more than the monies or medical diagnosis or who is gonna pay for something that isn't really wanted or needed.
My mom died of cancer, she died at home on her couch as she wanted. She was 43 and had only met two of her grandchildren. My dad has fought cancer 3 times and he is alive at 74. Everyone has their limits, why can't we respect that?

[MultipurposeRN]

Just who do they expect to take care of the bills in these patients? Maybe the facility should..but then again, maybe the facilities only helped 'cause' these things because chronically sick people keep being brought in over and over and strung along for months trying to keep them alive a little longer.
I'd be suspicious of anything she's doing. She may be a little too in love with herself and her publicity to really be looking at the root cause of these problems.

[Altra]

I feel very uneasy about this.

Who is determining what is an "error" and what is simply an adverse outcome? Operating on the wrong body part is clearly an error ... formation of a decubits ulcer is far less clear. Sometimes, despite interventions, complications occur anyway.

Are we saying that if an elderly patient in my facility who has not had great mobility for years now forms a decubitus while in my care, Medicare should not pay for appropriate dressings and consultation with a wound care nurse? That my hospital should either not provide the care or eat the cost? IMO neither of these are ethical, feasible or realistic.

I am extremely leery of celebrities who attach their name to "causes" and call themselves "advocates." Just my 2 cents.

[azhiker96]

I'm tired of this nonsense but lawsuits are the American way. If Erin is successful in her lawsuits then what will happen? The facilities will either have to increase charges to make up the loss or go under. That will be a great service to the community! (sarcasm) Maybe after the buildings are razed they can put up a statue to Erin.