Information & Ratings on Maplewood Healthcare Center (Violations)

When you entrust a loved one to the care of a skilled nursing facility, you have the right to expect competent care that substantially complies with laws and regulations. While nursing homes may make mistakes at times, it is when a lapse in care injures your loved one that it causing pain to your entire family. You do not have to accept this. Instead, you can retain competent counsel to take legal action against a nursing home if deficient care has caused any damage or injury to your family member. It is difficult to take legal action against a nursing home on your own so legal counsel can help you file a more effective claim.

Maplewood Healthcare Center is a large facility with 150 certified beds. It participates in both the Medicare and Medicaid programs. It provides long-stay services to residents of the Greater Kansas City area. It has for-profit ownership and is located at:

724 NE 79th Terrace 
Kansas City, MO 64118
(816) 436-8940
URL: N/A

The quality of care at a nursing home is something that is readily apparent to an observer. Information about deficiencies in care and penalties that nursing homes have received are publicly available information. In order to get a picture of the type of care that is being provided by the facility that is taking care of your family member, you should review the reports that Medicare makes public. You should pay close attention to the quality ratings that have been assigned by Medicare. The Maplewood Healthcare Center has received the lowest possible overall rating from Medicare. 

The list of health citations assessed against this facility is very long. Not only has the federal government found a large number of violations during its periodic inspections of the skilled nursing facility, but numerous complaints have led to citations as well. In fact, there have been a total of 21 citations that have resulted from complaint investigations in the past three years. 

The most recent inspection report was issued in December 2018. In this report, the home was assessed 14 different citations. On multiple occasions, the home hired nurses without checking a registry to see whether or not they had a Federal Indicator for abuse or neglect. All hires must be checked against this registry and employees should not be allowed to have interactions with residents until this check is done. The facility did not check the registry in the proper time for seven out the 14 employees sampled in the inspection. In addition, the facility failed to check the employee disqualification list prior to employment for nine sampled staff members.

In March 2018, there was a complaint inspection of the facility that resulted in a citation relating to the quality of care at the home. A resident had a lab test and the facility incorrectly reported the results of the lab test to the physician. As a result of the incorrect numbers and report, a certain medication was prescribed to the resident, in reliance on the mistaken reporting. The facility did not inform the resident's guardian that they were taking antibiotics. When the resident's family visited, they noticed the resident's weakened condition, but were not informed that the resident had a urinary tract condition. 

The December 2017 inspection report had 27 separate health citations that were assessed against the facility. In several instances, the facility failed to notify residents' families that they had a fall. In one fall, the resident broke their leg and was hospitalized. However, the facility did not tell the resident's responsible party of the incident or the change in condition. In another instance noted in the report, one resident had to undergo bowel prep for a colonoscopy, which is an uncomfortable procedure for anyone. However, the facility did not put the resident on the list for transportation to the appointment so the resident had to go to the trouble of bowel prep for no conceivable benefit. 

Additionally the inspection report noted that several residents were receiving anti-psychotic medications. Regulations require that these medications not necessarily be permanent pharmacological interventions. Instead, nursing homes should attempt gradual dose reductions of these medications. One residents received anti-psychotic medications for seven days straight without any evidence of review by a psychiatrist. 

In all, the nursing home has averaged nearly 20 health citations on each inspection report. The average inspection yields approximately six violations. While none of these violations resulted in a fine, the inspection reports still paint a picture of a facility that experiences serious problems with care.

Contact the attorneys at the Nursing Home Law Center today in order to have a discussion about the facts of your loved one's care at a nursing facility. The consultation is always free and we are only paid if we are able to successfully help you receive a financial recovery. Call us today at (800) 726-9565 and we can discuss a potential claim against a nursing home with you and the process that would need to be followed in order to hold a nursing home legally accountable for any harm suffered by your loved one. 

Sources:

• Inspection Report
• Inspection Report