Medication errors often arise due to overcrowding, understaffing or a failure to adequately train the Registered Nurses, Licensed Practical Nurses and Certified Nursing Assistants at Illinois nursing facilities. In many incidences, these drug mistakes cause significant harm or premature death of the patient caused by the negligence of their caregiver. Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC provide legal representation to residents of Illinois nursing skilled facilities like Rushville Nursing and Rehabilitation Center who have suffered serious life-threatening injury due to the careless actions of the nursing staff.
Rushville Nursing and Rehabilitation Center
This Nursing Center is a Medicare/Medicaid-participating ‘for profit’ Home providing services to residents of Rushville and Schuyler County, Illinois. The 96-bed Home is located at:
135 South Morgan Street
Rushville, IL 62681
(217) 322-3201
In addition to providing skilled nursing care, the facility also offers IV therapy, bariatric care, respiratory therapy, respite care, dialysis care, daycare, daily group activities, and regional cultural outings.
Rushville Nursing Home Resident Safety Concerns
To ensure families are fully informed of the level of care every nursing home provides, the federal government and the state of Illinois routinely update their nursing home database system. This information reflects a comprehensive list of safety concerns, health violations, filed complaints and opened investigations that can be found on numerous websites including Medicare.gov.
Currently, Rushville Nursing and Rehabilitation Center maintains an overall one out of five available star rating in the national Medicare comparison rating summary system. This includes three out of five stars for staffing concerns and one out of five stars for both health inspections and quality measures. The Schuyler County nursing home neglect attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC have found serious deficiencies and safety concerns at this facility that include:
- Failure to Ensure Residents Remain Free from Significant Medication Errors In a summary statement of deficiencies dated 04/20/2016, a formal complaint against the facility was opened by a state investigator for its failure to “ensure all residents received the correct physician-prescribed a dose of insulin.” The deficient practice involved one resident at the facility “reviewed for Diabetes Mellitus.”The deficient practice was first noted in the state investigator’s findings after reviewing a 04/11/2016 physician’s orders instructing the staff “to administer [insulin medication] on a sliding scale with meals three times per day, based on [the resident’s] blood sugar reading.” The physician’s orders in part directed the staff to administer eight units of the insulin medication if the resident’s blood sugar level was between 100-200 milligrams per deciliter, 10 units of insulin medication if the blood sugar level was between 201-250 milligrams per deciliter, and 12 units of insulin medication at the blood sugar level was higher than 250 milligrams per deciliter.A review of the resident’s 04/13/2016 4:30 PM Medication Administration Record revealed that the resident’s blood sugar reading was evaluated to be 275 milligrams per deciliter. The drug administering nurse administered 10 units of the insulin medication to the resident subcutaneously instead of the 12 units prescribed by the physician.
The state investigator interviewed the facility’s Administrator and Director of Nursing just after noon on 04/20/2016 who verified that the “4:30 PM dose of [insulin medication] on 04/13/2016 should have been 12 units instead of 10 units based on the physician’s orders” of 04/11/2016.
The state investigator noted that the actions of the nursing staff failed to follow the facility’s April 2007 policy titled: Insulin Administration that reads in part:
“The type of insulin, dosage requirements, strength, and method of administration must be verified before administration, to ensure that it corresponds with the order on the medication sheet and the physician’s order.”
- Failure to Develop and Enforce Accurate Procedures for Dispensing Pharmaceuticals In a summary statement of deficiencies dated 12/03/2015, a formal complaint was opened against the facility by a state investigator for its failure to “have qualified personnel administer medications” and a failure to “ensure the complete ingestion of medication.”Upon investigation, a Certified Nursing Assistant stated on the morning of 12/02/2015 that “two days after I started working… [a Registered Nurse told] me to take a resident’s medicine to the resident’s room and give it to the resident.” The resident stated that they “want some so I went and told [the Registered Nurse (RN) and the RN said [they were] too tired and had a chart so told me to take it to [the resident].” The CNA said, “I shook my head no but [the RN] told me anyway, so I did because I didn’t want to get fired for insubordination.”The state administrator noted that the actions of the nursing staff failed to follow the facility’s 11/03/2014 Medication Administration that reads in part:
“Medications are administered only by licensed nursing, medical, pharmacy or other personnel authorized by state law and regulations to administer medications…”
“The resident is always observed after administration to ensure that the dose was completely ingested.”
Rushville Illinois Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers
If you suspect that your loved one was the victim of abuse, neglect or mistreatment by visitors, caregivers or other residents while a resident at Rushville Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, contact Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC now. Our qualified Rushville attorneys represent victims with cases that involve abuse, negligence, and mistreatment occurring in Illinois nursing facilities.
We encourage you to contact our Schuyler County elder abuse law offices by calling (888) 424-5757 today to schedule your free, full case evaluation. No upfront fees are required because we accept every nursing home abuse claim for compensation through contingency fee arrangements.
Sources:
http://bit.do/RILnursing-Rushville-Nursing-and-Rehab
http://www.snydervh.com/Home_Page.html
http://www.idph.state.il.us/ltc/docs/SurveyResult/6008684FA04202016.PDF
http://www.idph.state.il.us/ltc/docs/SurveyResult/6008684FA12032015.PDF
