Do you suspect that your loved one has been mistreated while living in a Baltimore County nursing facility? Are you concerned that their injuries or unexpected death is a result of abuse or neglect by caregivers, employees, or other patients? If so, contact our nursing home network of attorneys in Maryland now for immediate legal intervention.
Let our team of lawyers work on your behalf to ensure your family receives monetary compensation for your damages. We use the law to ensure that those responsible for causing injuries and harm are held financially and legally responsible. Let us begin working on your case today.
This facility is a 177-certified bed "for profit" long-term care home providing services and cares to residents of Dundalk and Baltimore County, Maryland. The Medicare and Medicaid-participating center is located at:
7232 German Hill Road
Dundalk, Maryland 21222
(410) 282-6310
Heritage Center
In addition to providing 24/7 skilled nursing care, Heritage Center offers other services. Additional focused care includes wound care, pulmonary care, cardiac management, long-term care, transitional care, IV (intravenous) therapy, colostomy care, memory/dementia care, and restorative services involving physical, speech and occupational therapies.
The federal government and the state of Maryland routinely monitor every nursing facility to identify serious violations of established rules and regulations and levy monetary fines or deny payments through Medicare when problems are found. Typically, these violations result in penalties when investigators found severe problems that harmed or could have harmed a resident.
This nursing home also received thirteen complaints and self-reported one serious issue over the last thirty-six months that resulted in violation citations. Additional documentation concerning penalties and fines can be reviewed on the Maryland Nursing Home Information Website.
The state of Maryland and the federal government regularly updates its long-term care home database system with complete details of all deficiencies, citations, and 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 four out of five stars for quality measures.
According to state surveyors, “it was determined the facility staff failed to thoroughly assess a resident for the initiation/justification of a wander-guard bracelet.” A “wander-guard is an active tracking application designed to prevent persons at risk from leaving the facility unless they are accompanied. The system tracks the person using the wrist or ankle band and automatically locks doors and alarms if the resident moves outside of the defined area without being accompanied by an authorized person.”
The survey team observed the resident “in the dining room playing bingo. Further observation of the resident at the time revealed that the resident had a wander-guard in place on his/her left ankle.” The following afternoon, the surveyor saw the resident “in bed, and the wander-guard remained in place on the left ankle.”
On the third day, the facility staff “assessed the resident and documented on the MDS (Minimum Data Set) – wandering to dangerous places – outside of the facility.” The document question was “answered – NO – the resident was not assessed to be an elopement risk. An elopement risk would justify the application of the wander-guard.”
The surveyors reviewed the resident’s medical records at that time which revealed “the facility staff failed to assess the resident for the potential for elopement and failed to obtain a Physician’s orders” for the use of a wander-guard restraint.”
During an interview with the Director of Nursing, it was “confirmed the facility staff failed to thoroughly assess the need of the wander-guard for [the resident] and failed to obtain Physician’s orders” for the use of the wander-guard. “It was noted the length of time the wander-guard was in place or the person that applied the wander-guard was not known.”
The nursing home “failed to ensure the MDS (Minimum Data Set) Assessments were accurately coded. These concerns with accuracy were evident for [one resident]” whose records were reviewed during the Quality Indicated Survey.
Even though the resident’s Care Plan stated that “the resident has impaired vision related to [macular] degeneration, the resident’s Quarterly MDS Assessment concerning vision “was checked as adequate with no corrective lenses. It should have been checked as impaired as a Physician’s progress note” stated that “the resident had and was being treated for [macular degeneration].”
Do you suspect that your loved one suffered injury or died prematurely while living at Heritage Center? Contact the Maryland nursing home abuse lawyers at Nursing Home Law Center at (800) 926-7565 for immediate legal intervention. We represent Baltimore County victims of abuse and neglect in all areas, including Dundalk.
Our legal team invites you to discuss your case with us today through an initial, free claim consultation. Also, we provide a 100% “No Win/No-Fee” Guarantee, meaning you will not owe us anything until after we have secured monetary recovery for your family. All information you share with our law offices will remain confidential.
Sources:
Attorney Joe Musso
Licensed in Maryland
Chicago Nursing Home Injury Lawyer Nursing Home Law Center LLC Home