Manor Care Ratings & Violations

Manor Care provides both long-term and post-hospital short-term health care services at over 500 locations nationwide. The Company operates under different names, including HCR Heartland, ManorCare, Arden Court. With headquarters in Toledo, Ohio, the operating group owns and manages assisted-living facilities, rehabilitation centers, nursing centers, outpatient rehabilitation clinics, home healthcare services, and hospices.

HCR ManorCare at a Glance

Website	HCR-ManorCare.com
Number of Facilities	268
Illinois Facilities	23
Headquarters	333 N. Summit St. Toledo, OH 43604
Year founded	1959
Type of Care Provided	Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Memoroy Care Assisted Living Independent Living Home Health Care Hospice Care Palliative Care

Out of the more than 750 nursing facilities in Illinois, HCR currently operates nearly 40 healthcare provider services in the state, serving almost every county. The company is the country’s second-largest chain in the United States, providing proper care to the elderly, disabled, and rehabilitating.

The Illinois healthcare facilities operated by HCR provide various health care services by skilled medical professionals with years of expertise. Manor Care facilities offer numerous rehabilitation and follow-up home care services that include:

• Cardiac care
• Pulmonary care
• Diabetes management solutions
• Wound care
• Oncology care
• Neurological and stroke solutions
• Joint and orthopedic rehabilitation solutions

Locating the Best Facility to Care for a Loved One

Many families use the ratings by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to assist them in placing a loved one in a nursing facility. All families are looking for a facility that offers the best care and exceptional services in the community. The CMS rates each facility with one up to five stars, based on numerous components, including:

• Staffing – This rating evaluates data on the number of hours the facility’s medical staff members provide all short-stay and long-stay residents based on each patient’s requirements. This rating is per the level of care the resident requires based on nurse staff hours. This rating means nursing patients with severe needs likely need significantly more medical staff attention than a resident with minimal requirements.
• QMs (Quality Measurements) – A QM rating provides valuable data on specific clinical and physical measurements to meet the needs of each nursing home resident. This measurement provides information on the types of care and the use of medications for both short stay and long-term residents.
• Health Inspections – This rating provides valuable data of every on-site inspection occurring in the last three years. This ranking involves the evaluations of both complaint surveys and standard surveys of home residents. Objectively, trained inspectors visit the facility and gather information to ensure that the senior care home has reached the minimum quality requirements mandated by Medicaid and Medicare services.

In addition to ongoing neglect, the nursing staff can be held legally liable for types of abuse that are not always apparent. If an employee takes a photograph or video of a resident using their cell phone and shares the image in a text message or through social media, the employee and the nursing home can be held responsible for the abuse.

Measuring Up: How ManorCare Facilities Perform Compared to Peers

On average, Manor Care nursing home facilities throughout the state of Illinois have ranked below average on overall ratings, health inspections, and quality measures. However, Manor Care Centers in Illinois ranked high in the number of staff at every facility, including ManorCare of Libertyville. These rating indicators are especially pertinent at Manor Care facilities located in the Chicago Metropolitan area, along with Peoria and Davenport communities.

Even with the increased average of nursing staff at the facilities, many long-stay and short-stay residents staying at an Illinois Manor Care have suffered significant harm through negligence by the medical team.

Many reports document cases of injured patients in slip and fall incidences, malnutrition, dehydration, bed sores, and lack of care. Some facilities have reduced physical therapy staff hours or abandoned their resident council. Substandard care can increase residents’ health risks.

Medicare and Medicaid Rules and Regulations

Federal authorities and the Illinois Department of Public Health manage every nursing facility in the state. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) through the Department of Health and Human Services uses an overall rating system based on the national average to evaluate each facility in the United States.

State inspectors review medical records, the quality of care, and nurse staff hours as a part of the overall rating. Most facilities have an average number of health citations based on the national average. The inspectors look for any signs of sexual abuse, personal injury, physical abuse, verbal assault, or other horrific actions by staff members, other short-stay and long-stay residents, visitors, and employees.

If a violation has been identified, the state regulators report the home abuse, bed sores, or other injuries to the Illinois Department of Health so the information can be made available to the public.

Lawsuits Involving ManorCare Facilities

Woman Dies of Malnourishment and Dehydration

Numerous cases and legal claims filed against HCR Manor Care facilities are nothing new. In 2014, a significant jury verdict against the corporation totaling more than $91 million was approved in a West Virginia courthouse.

The settlement provided compensation for the wrongful death of Dorothy Douglas, an 87-year-old patient residing in a Charleston, West Virginia, HCR Heartland nursing facility. The woman died from complications of dehydration, malnourishment, and negligence at the facility caused by inadequate staffing and improper standards of care.

The West Virginia Supreme Court later reduced the original jury award of $91 million as recovery for compensatory and punitive damages down to $38 million. The award was paid to the surviving family members. The amount of compensation was unusually high because the plaintiff’s attorneys argued that essential human services were not supplied to the patient by nurses or nurse’s aide, including water, food, and necessities that did not require physical interaction.

Pennsylvania ManorCare Patient Dies of Bedsores

The surviving family members of a patient who died from facility-acquired pressure ulcers in a Pennsylvania HCR ManorCare received a $72,500 settlement. A female resident acquired severe bedsores on her heels and sacrum that became infected from a lack of proper care. The lawsuit alleged that the ManorCare facility failed to prevent or treat her pressure ulcers properly, allowing the woman to develop sepsis (blood infection) and die from her injuries.

Another large verdict involving HCR ManorCare included a $2 million award to surviving family members of a 72-year-old Florida ManorCare resident. The family alleged that the patient suffered severe skin ulcers and the spread of infections due to poor hygiene and immobility caused by a lack of care. HCR filed an appeal to the significant award that has since been denied.

Recent Claims Against Manor Care

$225,000 Nursing Home Settlement in Illinois

In 2018, a lawsuit settled for events that transpired at an Illinois hospital as well as a Manor Care facility in South Holland. The seventy-four-year-old resident was recuperating at the hospital after breaking his hip. The man developed bed sores around his hip while he was hospitalized that degraded to Stage III decubitus ulcers. He was then transferred to the Manor Care health care center.

After his admittance into the nursing facility, his decubitus ulcers advanced to Stage IV pressure wounds that then became infected. The victim and family members filed the civil lawsuit against the hospital and ManorCare.

The victim claimed that all defendants were negligent in providing quality care and liable to him for his economic (i.e., medical bills) and non-economic damages (i.e., pain, suffering, disfigurement, lost quality of life, etc.). Eventually, all parties settled for $225,000. The hospital paid $75,000, and the nursing home paid the remainder.

$200,000 Settlement for Illinois Nursing Center Case

A sixty-four-year-old woman was transferred to the Arlington Height Manor care location after undergoing knee surgery. The newly admitted resident needed extensive rehabilitation. About a week and a half after her transfer into her new residence, the woman was moving from her bed to the chair using a “sit to stand” machine to assist the staff. However, she injured her neck during the process.

That severe injury ignited her pre-existing stenosis condition and required spinal fusion surgery that cost $140,000. Later, when she sued the facility, she argued that the staff did not monitor her or assist her as they should have. Consequently, she claimed they were negligent and responsible for her pain, bills, and long-term damages.

The defendant denied the allegation. Lawyers for the nursing home stated that there was no evidence this event happened at all. The plaintiff and defendant eventually negotiated or a settlement of $200,000.

$592,500 Settlement for Illinois Nursing Home Wrongful Death Case

The victim, in this case, had a long history of medical problems before entering the ManorCare facility in Northbrook. Her issues were primarily centered on her lungs and heart.

The woman needed a trach to breathe. It is not clear when problems occurred during her stay at ManorCare. However, the trach became obstructed or otherwise compromised her health. Although she lost oxygen and struggled to breathe, the staff did not notice her distress and, consequently, did not reconnect or replace her breathing tube.

The woman suffered a significant brain injury and died. Her husband and child survivors filed a civil lawsuit against the facility for wrongful death and pointed to these developments as their proof. In a private settlement, the plaintiffs received a sum of $592,500 for their damages.

$130,000 Nursing Home Settlement in Kankakee, Illinois

This dispute involved nursing home falls at a Manor Care health care center. The eighty-eight-year-old man fell on three different occasions during his stay there. The last tumble broke his clavicle (collar) bone.

His repair and healing process cost him thousands of dollars in medical bills. The record is unclear as to what policies or procedures the facility had in place to prevent the man from falling and injuring himself. Consequently, the man sued and argued that they should have followed some protocols to ensure his safety and well-being. During a private negotiation, the parties agreed to resolve the matter for $130,000.

Attorneys Committed to Protecting the Rights of Patients Harmed or Killed at an HCR ManorCare Facility

No one ever expects to enter a nursing center only to become a victim of elder abuse or neglect. Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC has established itself as a leading firm committed to protecting the rights of seniors who have been betrayed by the facilities. In recent years, our law firm has acquired over $250 million in negotiated settlements and jury trial verdicts on behalf of our clients. We can help your family too.

Did your loved one suffer an injury while living a ManorCare facility? If so, our nursing home abuse lawyers encourage you to speak to one of our Illinois attorneys today for a free case evaluation. As with all of our home neglect cases, a legal fee is only charged when there is a recovery for you. Let us provide legal advice immediately.

Call us anytime at (888) 424-5757 or fill in the contact form. We accept ManorCare home abuse cases and wrongful death lawsuits from across the country. However, time is of the essence. All the necessary documents and paperwork must be filed in the appropriate county courthouse before the statute of limitations expires.