Mistreatment of nursing facility residents often indicates that caregivers, employees, the nursing staff, and doctors have failed to provide a level of care using established standards of practice that have led to wrongful death or serious injury. All forms of negligence and abuse in nursing homes are inexcusable.If your loved one was harmed while residing in a Wayne County nursing facility, we encourage you to contact the Michigan Nursing Home Law Center attorneys now for immediate legal intervention. Our team of lawyers has represented families just like yours, and we can help you too.
This nursing facility is a "for profit" Medicare and Medicaid-participating home providing services to residents of Livonia and Wayne County, Michigan. The 142-certified bed long-term care center is located at:
28550 Five Mile Rd
Livonia, Michigan 48154
(734) 427-8270
Heartland Health Care Center - Livonia
In addition to providing around-the-clock skilled nursing care, Heartland Health Care Center – Livonia offers other services including short-term care, long-term care, and outpatient rehab.
It is the responsibility of federal and state investigators to penalize any nursing home that has violated a rule or regulation that caused harm or could have caused harm to a resident. Many of these penalties involve monetary fines or denial of payment for Medicare services.
Over the last three years, federal investigators imposed three substantial monetary penalties against Heartland Health Care Center – Livonia citing substandard care. These penalties include an $83,987 fine on June 5, 2018, a $23,166 fine on February 14, 2017, and a $22,818 fine on June 27, 2016, for a total of $108,971.
The facility also received four formally filed complaints and self-reported one significant issue that all resulted in citations. Additional documentation concerning fines and penalties can be found on the Michigan Licensing and Regulatory Affairs Nursing Home Reporting Website.
The state of Michigan and Medicare.com routinely update their comprehensive list of deficiencies online to reflect all violations.
According to Medicare, this facility maintains an overall rating of one out of five stars, including one out of five stars concerning health inspections, three out of five stars for staffing issues and two out of five stars for quality measures.
The state investigators determined the “facility failed to provide periodic release of [a restraint for a resident] resulting in the potential for not maintaining highest practicable well-being.” The documentation shows that the resident wore a vest restraint and had a “tilt in space wheelchair reclined to 35 degrees.”
The resident had a Physician order for the vest restraint “to be applied when up in her wheelchair to minimize risk for falls related to impulse, uncoordinated movements of torso and extremities.” The vest restraint was to be checked and released “every two hours for a range of motion and repositioning.”
The survey team observed a resident at 8:18 AM on December 13, 2017 “up in the tilt in space wheelchair with a vest restraint in use.” The resident’s PEG tube was not infusing at this time.” At 12:05 PM, the resident’s Cleveland vest restraint and tilt back wheelchair “continues in use without being released.” By 1:37 PM, the Cleveland “vest restraint continues in use without being released.”
Additional times of observation including at 12:15 PM that day and at 8:42 AM, 10:52 AM, and 11:24 AM, the following day, the resident remained in their restraint without release. The survey team spoke with a Nurse and Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) who stated that “they thought the restraint had to stay on for resident safety.”
The nursing home “failed to follow their abuse policy and implement a timely investigation of [an] allegation of mistreatment for [one resident] reviewed for abuse.” The deficient practice resulted “in the potential for allegations not being investigated and reported [timely] to the Abuse Coordinator and the State Agency.”
The Administrator/Abuse Coordinator and the facility Director of Nursing reported that the Unit Manager “advised her of the alleged complaint on the afternoon of December 13, 2017.” The Director stated “she got busy and directed [the Unit Manager] to start an investigation. During the interview with the Abuse Coordinator [the Administrator] spoke out and stated that she had not been made aware of the allegations” of mistreatment.
Was your loved one mistreated while residing at Heartland Health Care Center - Livonia? Contact the Michigan nursing home abuse lawyers at Nursing Home Law Center at (800) 926-7565 for immediate legal intervention. We represent Wayne victims of abuse and neglect in all areas including Livonia.
Our legal team offers every client a free, initial case consultation. Additionally, we offer a 100% “No Win/No-Fee” Guarantee. This promise means you do not owe us anything until we have secured monetary compensation on your behalf. All information you share with our law offices will remain confidential.
Sources:
Attorney Robert Lantzy
Licensed in Michigan
Chicago Nursing Home Injury Lawyer Nursing Home Law Center LLC Home