Information & Ratings on Smithville Living Center (Violations)

When you have a loved one who resides at a skilled nursing facility, you want to see them get both the necessary medical care and the proper help with their daily activities. While not every lapse in care is grounds for a lawsuit, if a deficiency in care causes harm to your family member, you may have a legal cause of action against the nursing home. The only way to know whether you have a viable legal claim is to consult with an attorney who specializes in nursing home law.

Smithville Living Center is a medium-sized facility with 100 certified beds. It participates in both the Medicare and Medicaid programs. The facility provides long-stay services to residents of Smithville, MO and the Northwest Missouri. It has for-profit ownership and it is located at:

106 Hospital Dr 
Smithville, MO 64089
(816) 532-0888
URL: http://smithvillelivingcenter.com/

The federal government carries out both routine inspections of skilled nursing facilities as well as investigations that are conducted in response to complaints. These inspections are aimed at spotting instances where the nursing homes fail to comply with regulations. Federal rules that govern nursing homes are incredibly detailed and govern nearly all aspects of the care that is provided by the nursing home. In the event that noncompliance is noticed, it is documented in inspection reports that are released to the public. In addition, Missouri also may issue notices of violations to a nursing home.

The Smithville Living Center received two separates Notices of Noncompliance from the State of Missouri in 2018. Both of these violations were categorized as Class II violations, which is one level below the most serious type of noncompliance. One of these violations was in November 2018 and it involved a failure to follow physicians' orders for the applications of splints and braces for two separate residents. The other noncompliance, in January 2018, cited the facility for not taking follow-up action to resolve two different issues. The first problem was that the nursing home did not properly treat a wound on a resident's head and did not schedule an appointment with a dermatologist to examine the wound. The other issue was that staff was not properly trained in entering all of the rooms in the facility and the exit evacuation plan.

While the Smithville Living Center has not received any fines or payment denials from the federal government in the past three years, it is still a poorly rated nursing home in the areas of health inspections and quality of care measures. The last inspection report, issued in November 2017, contained 13 separate health citations issued to the nursing home. For one resident, it was noted that staff had failed to regularly empty the resident's bedside commode, causing the room to have a strong odor of urine. It is undignified for a resident to live surrounding by the odor of their urine. In addition, residents were left unattended in the dining room waiting for up to an hour before meals. Further, the facility failed to follow a physician's orders to obtain a urinalysis test for a resident. 

This inspection report painted a consistent picture of inattentive care at the nursing home. Staff failed to provide perineal care for three residents which heightened the risk for infection. On several occasions, staff failed to use gait belts when transferring residents and left chemicals out in easily reachable places. The facility was noted to be understaffed in that it did not have enough personnel on hand to assist residents with daily tasks throughout the day.

There have been 13 different complaints in the past three years that have led to citations against the facility. The last complaint investigation was carried out in May 2018. In this case, it was noted that the facility failed to contact a physician when a resident's big toe became very swollen in a manner that was evident. Staff failed to provide adequate help with grooming to nine residents. This included bathing and help with meals. This complaint investigation noted inadequate staffing at the facility, which was six months after the nursing home had already been cited for having less than enough staff. This is notwithstanding the fact that the numbers that the facility reported to Medicare seemed to indicate that there is enough staff to handle the necessary tasks.

The previous inspection report from 2016 also resulted in 13 health citations issued to the nursing home. There were also two complaint investigations carried out in 2017 that resulted in findings of deficiencies in care at the nursing home. 

The attorneys at the Nursing Home Law Center are experts in the area of elder care. They have many years of experience in dealing with nursing homes whose actions or inaction have harmed those who reside at the facility. Call us today at (800) 726-9565 for a free no-risk case assessment. When you tell us the facts of your loved one's care, we can give you an idea of whether we believe that there is a viable potential cause of action against the facility. The phone call and the consultation cost you nothing. 

Sources:

• November 7, 2018
• January 11, 2018
• Inspection Report - 11/02/2017
• Inspection Report - 05/07/2018