A Florida nursing home fined $18,000 after patient found injured, with maggots in leg cast

From the On Call blog for the Palm Beach Post in Florida:

A West Palm Beach nursing home has been fined $16,000 by state regulators after a patient was found injured on the floor with maggots crawling out of his leg cast.

The Azalea Court nursing home was faulted for failing to have a comprehensive care plan for the resident that included caring for his broken leg. “The 120-bed facility failed to provide the necessary care and services to a resident with the cast and wound of lower leg, resulting in an infestation of maggots,” stated the state inspection report dated August 2008.

The report said the patient’s leg wound and cast was to be cared for every three days, but the nursing home could only provide documentation that it cared for the wound about once a week.

The state issued the fine in March. It was the biggest fine against any health care provider or facility in Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast this year.

The nursing home has appealed the penalty.

Azalea Court earlier this year was put on a “watch list” by state regulators because of its poor performance on recent inspections. The for-profit nursing home received just one out of a possible five stars as its overall inspection grade, including just one star for quality of care and quality of life measurements, according to the state Agency for Health Care Administration.

After a state inspection in April 2008 Azalea was given a “J” grade for protecting residents from mistreatment and having policies to prevent abuse. That grade means there was “immediate jeopardy” to resident’s health or safety for isolated violations. To check out Florida’s watch list and get other state ratings of nursing homes, click here.

Azalea defends its care.

“We view the survey process as a quality improvement tool and are cooperating fully with regulatory agencies,” said a statement from the nursing home. “Quality care is our highest priority.”

Azalea’s statement added: “Government ratings are a valuable tool, but they’re no substitute for a visiting a facility and meeting the staff.”

Indeed. But the state ratings and recent inspection report grades should spur some tough questioning of Azalea administrators.