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Medication errors occurring in nursing facilities are common problems that state inspectors working for Medicare and Medicaid investigate on a routine basis. Oddly, nursing home regulatory agencies provide acceptable percentage (5% or less) levels largely due to the fact that all errors cannot be eliminated using the current dispensing medication system. Unfortunately, the Burbank elder abuse attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers have handled many personal injury cases for the residents who have suffered a life-threatening change to their health or a wrongful death due to an error when their medication was administered.
The most common types of errors occur in how the medication is filled per physician’s orders and administered in accordance with the physician’s orders and the pharmaceutical manufacturer’s recommendations. Some of the serious errors involve crushing the prescribed drug that should not be crushed, administering drugs without adequate liquids, antacids for food in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations and allowing a nursing home resident to swallow a sublingual medication like nitroglycerin pills that are only effective sublingually (under the tongue).
Aperion Care BurbankAperion Care Burbank is a 56-certified bed for profit Medicaid/Medicare-anticipating nursing facility providing services to residents of Burbank and Cook County, Illinois. The facility is located at:
5701 W. 79th St.
Burbank, Illinois 60459
(708) 499-5400
The services provided at Aperion Care Burbank include:
- Physical, occupational, and speech therapies
- Orthopedic rehabilitation
- Pain management
- Dementia/Alzheimer’s care
- Wound care
- Diabetes management
- Respiratory therapy
- Cardiac care
- Stroke rehabilitation
To ensure that families have accurate information on every nursing facility in the United States, the federal government and state of Illinois routinely update their nursing home databases to reflect the most currently opened investigations, filed complaints, safety concerns, and health violations. The updated information can be located on numerous websites online including Medicare.gov.
Currently, Aperion Care Burbank maintains an overall one out of five available star rating compared to all other nursing homes nationwide. This includes three out of five stars for quality measures, two out of five stars for staffing issues and one out of five stars for health inspections. Our Burbank nursing home neglect attorneys have located numerous safety concerns involving this facility that include:
- Failure to Ensure Medication Error Rates inside the Facility Did Not Rise above Five Percent
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated 07/09/2015, a state surveyor made a notation during an annual licensure and certification survey concerning the facility's failure to "have a five percent (5%) or lower medication error rate. There were three medication errors of 25 opportunities, resulting in a 12% medication error rate.” The deficient practice by the nursing staff at Aperion Care Burbank affected one resident at the facility directly during an observation of a medication pass, but had the potential of placing another resident “at risk for high blood sugar.”
The failure was first documented for 10 PM on 07/06/2015 when a member of the nursing staff “performed blood glucose monitoring for [a resident who] was to receive three units of insulin subcutaneously as ordered per sliding scale for blood sugar of 20 milligrams per deciliter with a start date of 06/06/2015 at 5:00 PM two times a day, scheduled for 6:00 AM and 5:00 PM daily.”
The investigator noted that “at 5:00 PM, [the administering nurse] stated [that the resident’s] insulin is still not available, it must have finished and may need to be reordered. At 5:10 PM, [the facility’s Director of Nurses] stated in part that [the resident] should have been receiving [the prescribed medication and not another medication] because the order was changed on 06/07/2015.” However, the Director of Nurses “was unable to provide the order.” The investigator also noted that the resident’s June 2015 Physician Order Sheet (POS) and MAR (Medication Administration Record) “did not have any change in order for instant interchange.”
- Failure to Ensure That Residents Remain Safe from Serious Medication Errors
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated 07/09/2015, the state investigator noted the facility’s failure “to administer innocent medication as ordered for [a resident at the facility]” this failure “had the potential placing [a resident at the facility] at risk.”
The state investigator noted that the deficient practice by the nursing staff at Aperion Care Burbank failed to follow the facility’s 01/01/2015 (review date) Medication Administration Policy that reads in part:
“Medications must be administered in accordance with the physician’s orders.”
“Licensed nurses are responsible for verification of orders.”
If your loved one has suffered serious injuries or a premature death due to a medication administering error while residing at Aperion Care Burbank, or any Illinois nursing facility, Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers can take immediate legal action. Our Cook County elder abuse attorneys can begin the process of building a case for financial recompense to ensure your family receives the compensation they deserve for your damages.
We accept all personal injury cases, wrongful death lawsuits and nursing home neglect claims for compensation through contingency fee agreements. This means we handle every aspect of the case on your behalf and are only paid once we have secured your negotiated out-of-court settlement or won your case in front of a judge and jury. To schedule your free, no-obligation case review, contact our Burbank Illinois nursing home abuse law firm (888) 424-5757 today.
https://aperioncare.com/locations/burbank/
