The state of Texas and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) conduct routine investigations, inspections, and surveys at every nursing facility statewide throughout the year. Their efforts can quickly identify serious deficiencies and health violations that harm or could harm residents. Once a problem has been detected, the facility is provided the opportunity to make prompt improvements of the care they provide and corrections to their policies and procedures.
In some cases, the underlying problems are too critical to make permanent changes. When this occurs, regulators typically designate the Home as a Special Focus Facility (SFF). This undesirable designation also involves placement on the Medicare deficiency watch list. In the months and years following the designation, state surveyors will conduct additional inspections and unannounced investigations into formally filed complaints. If the facility cannot make specific improvements [promptly], the Home will likely lose its contract to provide care and services to Medicare and Medicaid-funded patients.
In 2019, regulators designated Jacinto City Healthcare Center as a Special Focus Facility. Now that the facility is on the watch list, they must make significant improvements or suffer financial consequences. Likely, the SFF nursing home will remain on the list and undergo additional surveys every year until regulators are assured that any improvements the nursing staff and Administrator make remain permanent. Some violations, hazards, deficiencies, and citations concerning this facility are listed below.
This facility is a 148-certified-bed ‘for profit’ Long-Term Care Home providing services and cares to residents of Houston and Harris County, Texas. The Center is located at:
1405 Holland
Houston, TX 77029
(713) 455-1744
State and federal nursing home regulators have the legal authority to impose monetary penalties against any nursing home identified with serious deficiencies and dangerous violations of state and federal laws. These monetary fines are used as an effective method to notify the nursing facility that substandard care is no longer tolerated.
Over the last three years, regulators have levied three monetary fines against Jacinto City Healthcare Center. These penalties include a $61,035 fine on 01/13/2016, a $120,738 fine on 05/21/2016, and a $63,294 fine on 10/21/2016. Additionally, Medicare has denied the facility numerous request for payment involving services rendered on four separate occasions. These payment denials occurred on January 13, 2016, May 21, 2016, October 21, 2016, and April 19, 2017.
Also, over the last thirty-six months, state regulators received fifty-two formally filed complaints and fifteen facility-reported issues against Jacinto City Health Care Center that after investigations all resulted in citations.
To be fully informed on the level of care nursing homes provide, families routinely research the Medicare.gov database system for a complete list of dangerous hazards, filed complaints, safety concerns, health violations, opened investigations, and incident inquiries. This information provides valuable content to make a well-informed decision of where to place a loved one who requires the highest level of hygiene assistance and skilled nursing care.
Currently Jacinto City Healthcare Center maintains an overall one out of five stars compared to all nursing homes in America. This ranking includes one out of five stars for health inspections, one out of five stars for staffing issues, and three stars for quality measures. Some serious concerns, violations, deficiencies, and hazards involving this facility include:
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated May 21, 2016, a state investigator noted that the facility failed “to develop and implement policies and procedures that prohibit mistreatment and neglect of residents.” The deficient practice affected two residents of the facility as evidenced by “the facility’s failure to obtain the x-ray results for [a resident] who fell [and] had an immediate x-ray ordered by the physician. The x-ray was obtained on April 30, 2016, at 3:30 PM, but the results were not obtained by the facility staff for forty-five hours on May 2, 2016, and 12:30 PM. The x-ray results revealed a fracture at the base of the tibial tuberosity (the upper part of the leg closest to the knee) to the resident was then sent to the hospital for treatment.”
In a separate incident, another resident “had fallen on May 12, 2016, at 4:00 AM. The resident was not provided any medical interventions until 6:20 PM when she was transferred to the hospital and was assessed to have pneumonia and a left anterior iliac spine (the attachment site for the fine muscles that helps bend the hip) avulsion fracture…” The state surveyor identified an Immediate Jeopardy on May 18, 2016, concerning this event. “While the Immediate Jeopardy was removed on May 21, 2016, the facility remains out of compliance at a scope of pattern and a severity level of actual harm due to the facility needed more time to monitor the plan of removal for effectiveness.”
The state surveyor noted that the facility’s failure “affected two residents who received injuries from a fall that required them to be transferred to the hospital for treatment and placed fifty-seven additional residents who were [completely] dependent on staff or care and activities of daily living at risk for neglect and injury.”
The surveyor reminded the nursing facility of their Abuse and Neglect Policy that reads in part “Each resident has the right to be free from mistreatment, neglect, abuse, involuntary seclusion, injuries of unknown origin, and misappropriation policy. Any observations or allegations of abuse, neglect or mistreatment must be immediately reported to the Administrator and Director of Nursing.” The surveyor noted the facility’s failure “to implement the written policies and procedures concerning a prohibition, investigating and reporting of neglect for [two residents who had a change in condition].”
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated June 2, 2016, a state investigator noted the facility failed “to consult the resident’s physician when there was a change in condition [involving one resident] reviewed for consulting with the physician.” The surveyor documented that the Assistant Director of Nursing (failed to properly assess, identify a change of condition and immediately consult with the physician or seek emergency medical care for [a resident] after a change of condition.” This change in condition resulted “in the resident being admitted to the intensive care unit and in a semi-coma.
These failures affected one resident whose care was compromised due to staff neglecting to adequately assess, [and] monitor.” The staff also failed to “immediately consult with the physician [which] placed the other fifty-one residents residing in the 200 All at risk for not having a change of condition immediately reported to the physician, which could lead to a decline in health, hospitalization, or death.” The surveyor reviewed the resident’s Care Plan that revealed: “he was Care Planned for behaviors including screaming loudly, abusive language, and hanging out of bed.”
The surveyor interviewed the Assistant Director of Nursing who said that the resident “had slept during his shift. When asked if he was notified that [the resident] did not eat or take is a.m. medications he said, ‘yes.’ When asked if he went to see [the resident, the Assistant] said, ‘yes, and he was able to arouse him.’ When asked if he consulted with the physician of [the resident’s] change of condition, the Assistant Director of Nursing said ‘no,’ he thought he was just sleepy because of the new medications.”
The surveyor asked the Assistant Director if the resident “had slept all shift or was unable to be aroused for medication or meals before. The Assistant Director said ‘no’’ and was asked if he discussed the resident’s condition and reported it on the 24-hour report. He replied, “I do not recall.” While the Assistant Director reported that he had checked the resident’s “blood sugar” he “would not give a specific result. A review of the resident apposite as Medication Administration Record for that day “revealed no results for blood sugar for the morning shift.”
During an interview a Licensed Vocational Nurse revealed that a Certified Nursing Assistant “came to get around 2:00 PM to check on [the resident] because he was unresponsive. When she went into [the resident’s] room, she discovered the resident in bed, unresponsive. He was not arousable to verbal or physical stimuli.” The Licensed Vocational Nurse said that “the resident also had labored breathing [and] she immediately notified the physician and called 911.”
The Licensed Vocational Nurse said that the resident was “flaccid (soft or limp) and did not open his eyes. Blood sugar checked revealed a result of 19 [a dangerously life-threatening low-level].” The nurse gave the resident medication which increased their blood sugar level “slightly” before transporting the resident to the hospital.” The nurse stated that the Assistant Director of Nursing never included the resident apposite as issues “on the 24-hour report used to report to the oncoming shift. The surveyor [interviewed ] the facility’s Corporate Nurse who said that the Assistant Director of Nursing “had been suspended by the corporate office pending an investigation.”
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated June 2, 2016, the state investigator noted the facility’s failure “to develop and prevent policies and procedures that prohibit neglect for [a resident].” The deficient practice involved the Assistant Director of Nursing who “failed to properly assess, identify a change of condition and immediately consult with the physician or seek emergency medical care for [a resident] after a change of condition resulting in the resident being admitted to the intensive care unit in a semi-coma.
In a separate summary statement of deficiencies dated August 15, 2016, the surveyor noted that the facility had failed “to implement the written policies and procedures that prohibit neglect of residents.” It was documented that the facility had “failed to ensure that [a resident] who resided in the locked unit, was properly supervised.”
A Licensed Vocational Nurse “was the only staff member on the secure unit, when [the resident was] left outside for an extended… time, exposed to high temperatures and the sun. [The resident] experienced heat exhaustion and second-degree burns on her face, right breast, right shin and left foot. She was sent to the local hospital that transferred [the resident] to a burn unit and another hospital. [The resident] was placed in hospice.”
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated August 15, 2016, a state investigator noted the facility failed “to ensure each resident received adequate supervision.” The deficient practice affected one resident “on the locked unit for hazards and supervision.” The harm of the resident led to an identified Immediate Jeopardy on August 9, 2016.
“While the Immediate Jeopardy was removed on August 14, 2016, the facility remains out of compliance at a scope of pattern and severity level of actual harm due to the facility needed more time to monitor the plan of removal for effectiveness.” The deficiency by the nursing staff “affected one resident and placed seventeen residents at risk of not receiving supervision, that could lead to injuries.”
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated October 21, 2016, the state investigator noted the facility’s failure “to implement their policies and procedures that prohibit neglect of [a resident]. The facility’s failure to assess, monitor and provide treatment for [the resident]” involved admission to a facility at September 9, 2016, without a pressure ulcer and discharged to a hospital with a Stage IV pressure ulcer to the left ischium [within weeks after admission].”
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated October 21, 2016, the state surveyor noted the facility’s failure “to ensure the resident was unable to carry out activities of daily living receive the necessary services to maintain good nutrition, grooming, and personal hygiene.” The deficient practice affected three residents at the facility reviewed for activities of daily living.”
The state investigator observed three residents. In one incident, a resident “was found in bed was saturated brief and saturated chuck pads.” Another resident “was found in bed with the light brown (softball size) wet area on their gown and [their device] adapter leaking.” A third resident “was found in bed with dry, peeling lips with mucous [and] with a saturated brief and saturated chuck pads.”
Surveyors documented that these failures “affected three residents and placed eleven additional residents at risk that were dependent on staff for the incontinent care and feeding [device] for developing infections or a decline in their physical health.”
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated June 2, 2016, the state investigator noted the facility’s failure “to ensure that all alleged violations of misappropriation of the residents’ property were reported immediately to the State Agency. The deficient practice involved one resident. The investigator noted the facility “failed to investigate and report an allegation of misappropriation to the State Agency and the Local Law Enforcement when [a resident] had his credit card stolen.”
The deficiency by the nursing staff and Administrator “affected one resident and placed fifty-one other residents who reside on the 200 Hall of not having allegations of abuse, neglect, and misappropriation investigated and reported causing harm and mental anguish.”
If your loved one was abused, mistreated or neglected while at Jacinto City Healthcare Center or any nursing facility, hiring a personal injury attorney could be a wise decision. With legal assistance, your family can file all the necessary documentation in the appropriate Texas county courthouse before the statute of limitations expires. Your attorney will investigate your claim, build your case, and present evidence in front of a jury or negotiate an acceptable out of court settlement.
No upfront retainers or fees are required because personal injury attorneys accept nursing home abuse and medical malpractice claims for compensation through contingency fee arrangements. This agreement provides immediate legal representation without the need of ever making any upfront payment or retainer.
Sources:
Chicago Nursing Home Injury Lawyer Nursing Home Law Center LLC Home