Boss is forging documents

[Bee_home care]

HELP

I have become aware and have copies of documents that my boss, the director of our division, has forged. She has signed another nurses name to 2 documents (med list and nursing assessment) and altered a nursing assessment already signed by another nurse. I have not yet found any documents of "mine" that she has altered but plan on looking for those as this is really scary. There are other nurses that I work with who also have documents that she has altered or forged. The boss has very distinctive handwriting so there is NO WAY to not know it is her handwriting.

My colleagues and I have also been asked to commit fraudulant acts by her and have refused to do this.

This woman was "fired" 3 months ago for reasons other than above (harassment, bullying....) and we were told that she would be staying as our boss until her replacement was found. Needless to say, she is still our boss and we (many of the nurses) are enraged.

I have spoken to an attorney and he has advised us (group of nurses) to meet with the CEO ASAP and present her with the forged/fraudulant documents and ask for our bosses immediate termination and if this is not done within 1 week then we (nurses) will report the agency for Medicare and Medicaid fraud.

We are all afraid of losing our jobs and the harm it would have on our patients.

any advice would be greatly appreciated

bee

[Bee_home care]

I found my "signature" forged on a document and many more of other nurses "signatures."

Someone please respond so I know that at least someone has read this.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

Your post has been moved to the General Nursing Discussion forum for more responses. I wish you the best of luck!

[demylenated, BSN, RN]

I would do as the attorney advised. And, I would not give her a week. And, I would not say "if this is not done...." I would report it to Medicare/Medicaid, the BON, and anyone else that needs to be advised - because if you know this is going on and say nothing you could be found liable as well.

[netglow, ASN, RN]

I agree, I'd just be worrried about who to say what to first. I truly believe that you somehow need to document your concerns in a way that would give record to your meeting and what it was about. Thing is, you bet the CEO or whomever will be concerned about what you guys say. If management is aware already, they might not be happy with you. Even if they don't already know, they might not be happy with you. Double edged sword. I'd ask my attorney how I might protect myself in the process of all of this.

[llg, PhD, RN]

I'd probably bring my attorney to the meeting with the CEO.

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

i wouldn't wait the week to report to medicare/medicaid fraud. you know about it now, they can't go back and change the records to remove the fraudulent entries because that is covering up evidence, a felony itself. ypu don't want to be in a position where they can say you knew about it for a long time and did not report, because that makes you look complicit.

tell the company/hospital risk management department what you will be reporting-- it's very likely they don't know about it yet. report immediately, keep copies of everything and give to your attorney, send it return receipt requested (certified mail) to your attorney's office. also report to the state nursing registration board; this person should have discipline from them too, maybe loss of license.

[NicuGal, MSN, RN]

I'd be careful about having those documents out of the institution, that can be construed as a HIPAA violation, I'd really ask the attorney about that. If you have them on you, I'd black out any thing identifying the patient.

[kids]

What is the purpose behind you having copies? Is it for a legitimate care delivery purpose or as 'evidence'?

If it's the latter destroy them and never tell anyone you made copies. Your making copies and removing them from the agency could cost you your license and you could face state or federal charges. Just ask those nurses in CA, they succeeded in exposing corruption, fraud and abuse within their facility and had their lives ruined because they made copies of documents and took them out of the facility.

Do NOT meet with the CEO or whoever to discuss this. Your supervisor hasn't been fired. People don't get fired then are allowed to work for months until a replacement is found, you guys were just told that to shut you up for whatever reason.

Make an anonymous fraud complaint to the State and Medicare. Do NOT give any patient names, just their patient number and the name & date of the questionable document.

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

as a clarification, it never occurred to me that you would make copies of patient records, so please don't do that. but you can (and must) make copies of your own letters, accounts, reports to mcare/caid, any communications to the risk manager, and so forth for your own use and the use of your attorney. and do make those reports!