FBI: Hospice Owner Told Worker to 'Make Patient Go Bye-Bye

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

Having worked Hospice and Palliative care, it's hard enough to gain patient and family's trust after death panel commotion, sure this will spread like wildfire instilling fear of premature death. TONS of education will be needed by hospice staff to allay fears of patients living in this area and undue harm by this Hospice owner.

Hospice Owner Told Worker to 'Make Patient Go Bye-Bye

The owner of a North Texas medical company regularly directed nurses to give hospice patients overdoses of drugs such as morphine to speed up their deaths and maximize profits, an FBI agent wrote in an affidavit for a search warrant obtained by NBC 5....

..Harris instructed a nurse to administer overdoses to three patients and directed another employee to increase a patient's medication to four times the maximum allowed, the FBI said. He allegedly sent text messages like, "You need to make this patient go bye-bye."...

[AJJKRN]

Wow. This really takes away from a person's dignity and choice during their end of life and death.

[RNdynamic]

Was it perhaps an attempt at the infamous "black humor" that permeates nursing?

[Hoosier_RN, MSN]

Sounds like he needs to go bye-bye

[RNdynamic]

Bye bye .

[elkpark]

None of the articles I found on Google specifically say so, but I'm assuming this is a for-profit hospice (founded and run by an accountant, ".com" address). This is what happens when vulnerable, helpless people are left in the care of individuals whose primary concern is making money. Why is anyone surprised?

[RNdynamic]

I've read that many times in nursing, "black humor" is utilized in order to help members of the profession to cope with grief and loss. Could this be an example of that?

[BZou, BSN, RN]

Beyond messed up. I am hoping that none of the nurses actually complied with this crazy guys demand because honestly that would be even more messed up if they did.

[Jensmom7, BSN, RN]

Except for one thing. Morphine, as used in Hospice, doesn't have a "maximum allowed" dose.

I've given Roxanol (short acting Morphine) 10mg SL hourly for cases of extreme respiratory distress.

[la_chica_suerte85, BSN, RN]

I've read that many times in nursing, "black humor" is utilized in order to help members of the profession to cope with grief and loss. Could this be an example of that?

How? What does this have to do with anyone finding anything funny and coping about anything?

[imintrouble, BSN, RN]

How is it financially beneficial to kill off the people that are paying the bills?

Sorry. I read the article and my question was answered.

[LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN]

Except for one thing. Morphine, as used in Hospice, doesn't have a "maximum allowed" dose.

I've given Roxanol (short acting Morphine) 10mg SL hourly for cases of extreme respiratory distress.

Exactly...

Even if he wanted to make pts "go bye bye," some pts can still hang on.