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Many older individuals residing in nursing facilities live in the balance of receiving the proper medication according to the physician’s orders. Any mix-up in the resident’s medication including the wrong drug, the wrong dose, or receiving the right medication at the appropriate time could cause fatal injuries and in a wrongful death. Unfortunately, the Moline elder abuse attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers have represented many families who lost loved ones due to medication errors occurring in nursing facilities throughout Illinois.
Every type of medication error is preventable if the nursing staff takes appropriate measures to follow procedures and protocols. The most common types of medication errors include:
- Improper Dosage – Often times, the nursing home resident will receive an improper level of medication by either too much or too little leading to serious harm.
- Incorrect Drug – a mix up in medication can occur easily in a nursing home setting because many nurses are administering drugs to multiple patients on numerous “drug passes” throughout the day. Receiving a medication that belongs to another resident could claim the life of the individual if appropriate and immediate actions are not taken to overcome adverse effects.
- Multiple Medications – If the nursing staff fails to follow procedures and protocols to accurately account for all medications, the resident can easily receive multiple doses of the same drug taken too close together.
Hope Creek Care Center is a 245-certified bed Medicare/Medicaid-participating County-owned nursing facility providing services to residents of East Moline and Rock Island County, Illinois. The facility is located at:
4343 Kennedy Drive
East Moline, Illinois 61244
(309) 796-6600
In addition to providing physical, occupational, and speech therapy, Hope Creek Care Center’s skilled nursing care includes:
- Diabetic care
- IV therapy
- Pain management
- Post-surgical recovery
- Wound care
- Neurological care
- Respiratory care
- Medication management and education
On an annual basis, the federal government in the state of Illinois routinely update their nursing home databases in an effort to show currently opened investigations, filed complaints, health violations and safety concerns of facilities throughout the United States. The updated information is posted on various websites including Medicare.gov through their comprehensive star rating summary system. Many families use this information as a comparative analysis tool to decide where to place a loved one who requires the highest level of care in their community.
Currently, Hope Creek Care Center maintains an overall one out of five available star rating compared with other facilities nationwide. This includes three out of five stars for staffing issues and one out of five stars for both health concerns and quality measures. Our East Moline nursing home neglect attorneys have found numerous filed complaints, safety concerns and health violations concerning this facility that include:
- Failure to Immediately Notify the Resident’s Doctor or Responsible Family Member of Any Change in the Resident Situation Including a Decline in Health or Injury
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated 10/02/2015, a notation was made by a state investigator during an annual licensure and certification survey concerning the facility's failure to "notify the physician and family of medication omissions.” The deficient practice by the nursing staff at Hope Creek Care Center affected two residents “reviewed for physician notifications.”
The failure was first revealed 12:15 PM 10/02/2015 during an interview with the facility’s Medical Director who stated that they “do not recall and do not have any documented record of being notified of [the resident] not receiving six doses of scheduled Xarelto.” The Medical Director also stated that the resident “is taking the anticoagulant, Xarelto” for their medical conditions including blood clots to the resident’s “right lower extremity.” The Medical Director also stated that Xarelto causes blood thinning and prevents blood clots from forming and if not taken as prescribed over multiple days could have serious consequences.” The Director also indicated that they must be “absolutely notified of medication errors.”
A review of the resident’s MAR (Medication Administration Record) dated between 09/12/2015 and 09/18/2015 on consecutive days “does not document [the resident] received physician order anticoagulant Xarelto.” The state investigator also noted that the Nurse’s Notes for the resident during the same time frame does “not document that [the Medical Director], attending physician or [the resident’s] family were notified of [the resident] not receiving six doses of Xarelto.”
- Failure to Ensure the Residents Remain Safe from Serious Medical Errors
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated 10/02/2015, the state investigator also noted the facility’s failure “to administer physician prescribed anticoagulant Xarelto [for two residents at the facility].” The state investigator noted that the resident’s Nurse’s Notes dated between 09/12/2015 through 09/18/2015 does “not document why [the resident] did not receive the medication Xarelto.”
Do not hesitate to contact Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers at (888) 424-5757 if your loved one has suffered adverse effects from a medication error while residing at Hope Creek Care Center or any other Illinois nursing facility. Our Rock Island County elder abuse attorneys have years of experience and ample resources to ensure that your loved one receives the financial compensation they deserve for their damages.
Our East Moline Illinois nursing home abuse law firm accepts all nursing home abuse and neglect cases through contingency fee agreements. This means we are paid for our legal services after we negotiate your acceptable out of court settlement or win your case at trial.
