Any mistreatment that occurs in a nursing home is often the result of the nursing staff, doctor, employees or other caregivers providing negligent care in violation of established standards. This negligence often results in an injury, harm for wrongful death. Other times, the patient is physically, mentally or sexually assaulted by other residents, visitors or employees. Any form of negligence or abuse in a nursing facility is inexcusable.
When victims are harmed, the law provides immediate intervention through the legal system to ensure that the injured party receives compensation for their damages in those responsible for the harm are held accountable. The Tennessee Nursing Home Law Center attorneys have represented many Madison County nursing home residents to ensure their rights are protected, and we can assist your family too. Contact us today to begin the process before the state statute of limitations expires concerning your claim for compensation.
This long-term care (LTC) facility is a "for profit" 102-certified bed long-term care center providing services to residents of Madison and Madison County, Tennessee. The Medicare/Medicaid-participating home is located at:
431 Larkin Spring Rd
Madison, Tennessee, 37115
(615) 865-8520
In addition to providing around-the-clock skilled nursing care and clinical services, Signature Healthcare of Madison also offers:
The investigators for the state and federal nursing home regulatory agencies have the legal responsibility of penalizing any facility that has violated rules and regulations that harmed or could have harmed a resident. These penalties often include monetary fines and denying payment for Medicare services.
Within the last three years, state and federal nursing home regulatory agencies have imposed a $7543 monetary fine against Signature Healthcare of Madison on June 23, 2017, due to substandard care. Also, during the last thirty-six months, the nursing facility received eleven formally filed complaints and self-reported two serious issues that resulted in citations.
Additional documentation about fines and penalties can be found on the Tennessee Department of Health Nursing Home Reporting Website concerning this nursing facility.
A list of opened investigations, filed complaints, dangerous hazards, health violations, safety concerns, and incident inquiries on statewide long-term care homes can be reviewed on database websites including the Tennessee Department of Public Health and Medicare.gov. Many families use this data to determine the best facility to place a loved one who requires the highest level of skilled health care and hygiene assistance.
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. The Madison County neglect attorneys at Nursing Home Law Center have found serious deficiencies and safety concerns at Signature Healthcare of Madison that include:
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated December 13, 2017, the state investigators documented that the facility had failed to “keep three residents free from unnecessary medications of the eight residents reviewed for medications.” The investigators reviewed the facility’s policy titled: Medication Administration dated May 2016 that reads in part: Before “administration, review and confirm medication orders.”
The survey team reviewed the resident’s medical records and Admission MDS along with the resident’s Brief Interview for Mental Status indicating that the resident “was cognitively intact.” The resident was receiving medication to treat a hip bone infection from June 15, 2017, through July 27, 2017.” However, a review of the resident’s Medication Administration Record (MAR) showed that the resident continued to receive medication after the physician order to have the medication stopped.
As a part of the investigation, the surveyors interviewed the facility Director of Nursing who confirmed after reviewing the MAR that “the facility failed to stop the administration of [the drug] as ordered, resulting in unnecessary medication administration for the resident.”
The investigators reviewed another resident’s Medical Records that revealed that the resident was receiving drugs that started on November 22, 2017, to be given twice daily at 9:00 AM and 9:00 PM through December 12, 2017, for a total of twenty days.” The investigators interviewed a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) on the morning of December 13, 2017 “in the hall at the medication cart near [the resident’s] room.” The observation revealed that the 9:00 AM “medications had already been given for [the resident]” and that the resident had received medication that was no longer prescribed.
During an interview with the Licensed Practical Nurse, it was confirmed that “the medication was only ordered for fourteen days beginning on November 22, 2017. As a part of the investigation, the surveyors interviewed the facility Director of Nursing that morning who reviewed the medication orders for the resident. The Director “confirmed the order was for fourteen days and the medication should have been discontinued on December 6, 2017, and was not.” The Director said that the deficiency by the nursing staff resulted “in unnecessary medication administration for the resident.”
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated December 13, 2017, the state survey team noted that the nursing home had failed to “monitor behavior for two residents.” The investigators reviewed the facility’s policy titled: Medication Policy & Care Procedure dated May 9, 2017, that reads in part:
“The facility will make every effort to comply with state and federal regulations related to the use of [psychotropic] medications in the long-term care facility.” These efforts will include “regular review for side effects, risks or benefits. Will monitor for the presence of target behaviors on a daily basis.”
The investigators reviewed the resident’s medical records and Quarterly MDS (Minimum Data Set) that revealed that the resident “received antianxiety medication during the assessment look back period.” However, further review of the documentation “revealed behavior monitoring was not documented for the 7:00 PM – 7:00 AM shift on September 6, 2017, through November 20, 2017.”
A record review also showed that behavior monitoring “was not documented for the 7:00 AM – 7:00 PM shift on October 5, 2017, October 14, 2017, or October 28, 2017.” The nursing staff also failed to document behavior monitoring on the “7:00 PM – 7:00 AM shift on October 8, 2017, October 17, 2017, October 21, 2017, October 22, 2017, or October 26, 2017.”
Additional problems with documentation of the resident’s behavior monitoring also occurred between January 11, 2017, and November 30, 2017, on both shifts. The investigators interviewed the Director of Nursing on December 13, 2017. The Director “confirmed the facility failed to complete behavior monitoring for [the resident] who was administered antianxiety medication and [another resident] who was administered an antipsychotic medication.”
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated December 13, 2017, a surveyor noted the nursing home's failure to “store oxygen tubing in a sanitary manner and failed to date the humidification reservoir for [one resident] receiving oxygen.” The surveyors reviewed the resident’s medical records and made observations of the resident in the resident’s room while receiving “an oxygen concentrator near the head of the bed with the nasal cannula/tubing lying on top of the concentrator and not in the bag.”
The investigative team interviewed the Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) providing the resident care when the “oxygen concentrator was near the head of the bed with the oxygen tubing lying on top of the concentrator, not in the bag.” Continued observations also revealed that the “humidification reservoir was not dated.”
The investigators interviewed the LPN near the resident’s room who “confirmed the nasal cannula/tubing should be in a dated bag and the humidification reservoir should be dated.” The LPN also stated that “the facility failed to date and store the nasal cannula tubing in a sanitary manner and failed to date the humidification reservoir.”
In a separate summary statement of deficiencies dated October 18, 2016, the survey team noted that the facility had “failed to ensure infection control during meal distribution on one of three halls observed.” The investigators reviewed the facility’s policy titled: Handwashing/Hand Hygiene dated August 2012 that reads in part:
“If hands are not visibly soiled, use an alcohol-based hand rub for all the following situations [including] before and after direct contact with the resident; after contact with objects [near] the resident.”
The surveyors observed a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) on the Hall delivering “a meal tray to a room and exited the room without performing hand hygiene. Continued observations revealed that [the CNA] retrieved a tray from a tray cart, deliver the tray to another resident, place the tray on the bedside table, touched her glasses, opened the door to exit the room, and returned the refused tray to the cart.”
Further observations revealed that the same CNA “went to the kitchen to request peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the resident, touched the door handle to the kitchen, and delivered the sandwiches to the resident without performing hand hygiene.”
The investigator interviewed the CNA who confirmed that they “had wash hands [before] delivering lunch trays but had failed to perform hand hygiene between each resident and after touching objects while delivering meal trays.” During an interview with the Director of Nursing, it was confirmed that “the facility failed to ensure infection control [was followed] during meal distribution per facility policy.”
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated February 22, 2018, the state surveyor noted that the nursing home had failed to “have sufficient nursing staff to provide nursing and related services to attain or maintain the highest practicable physical, mental, and psychosocial well-being of each resident as determined by the staff schedule for February 10, 2018.”
The investigators interviewed a cognitively intact resident who stated that “the facility was under staff for the evening shift on February 10, 2018, with only one of the scheduled CNAs showing up to work.” During the interview, the resident revealed that that CNA “worked a double [shift] to help cover the evening shift on February 10, 2018.” During that time, the resident’s “medications were administered about one hour late on the evening shift for February 10, 2018.”
During an interview with another resident the same day, it was revealed that “the facility staffing is frequently short. He also stated he required assistance to get in and out of bed [saying] he prefers to be in bed by 8:30 PM and on the evening shift on February 10, 2018, he was not assisted into bed until between 10:00 PM and 11:00 PM.”
The investigators interviewed the facility Director of Nursing who confirmed “staffing was short on February 10, 2018” and that they had “offered and incentive pay to the nursing staff to attempt coverage on the evening shift.”
Has your loved one been injured or harmed while a resident at Signature Healthcare of Madison? If so, call the Tennessee nursing home abuse lawyers at Nursing Home Law Center at (800) 926-7565 for legal help. Our network of attorneys fights aggressively on behalf of Madison County victims of mistreatment living in long-term facilities including nursing homes in Madison.
Our knowledgeable attorneys have years of experience in handling cases that involve nursing home abuse occurring in private and public nursing facilities. Contact us now to schedule a free case review to discuss how to obtain justice and resolve a financial compensation claim. We can begin today working on your case to ensure your rights are protected.
Our lawyers accept all cases involving wrongful death, nursing home neglect, or personal injury through a contingency fee agreement. This arrangement will postpone the need to make a payment for our legal services until after our attorneys have resolved your case through a jury trial award or negotiated out of court settlement. We can start on your case today to ensure you receive compensation for your damages. All information you share with our law offices will remain confidential.
Attorney Cameron Jehl
Licensed in Tennessee
Tennessee Nursing Home Injury Lawyer Nursing Home Law Center LLC Home