The high majority nursing home malpractice cases stem from pressure ulcers (decubitus ulcers; pressure sores; bedsores). These types of open wounds are lesions in the skin and underlying tissue that developed when constant pressure in the area restricts blood flow. Without proper treatment, the pressure ulcer can quickly become infected and fatal if the muscles, tendons and bones are exposed. In fact, the Urbana nursing home neglect attorneys at Nursing Home Law Center LLC have handled many cases where the nursing staff failed to identify a bedsore which led to a crippling serious sore or fatal wound.
State and federal regulations mandate that all nursing facilities take every step possible to prevent the formation of a developing pressure sore. This often requires ongoing maintenance of the resident’s health to ensure they receive proper nutrition, adequate hydration and repositioning of their bodies if mobility challenged to relieve pressure on bony prominences like the ankles, hips, sacrum, shoulders, back of the head, toes and elbows. In addition, the nursing facility is required to use pressure relieving devices when necessary to prevent bedsores including heel protectors and special air mattresses.
Because of the growing aging population throughout Illinois, the development of bedsores has become a serious problem in the state, including in the Champaign-Urbana area. Approximately 5000 of the 40,000 residents living within the Urbana city limits are senior citizens. The number of elderly individuals is three times that when accounting for everyone 65 years and older residing throughout Champaign County. The limited number of nursing facility beds as cause serious problems in recent years through overcrowding conditions and a lack of the number of qualified staff to ensure that the health and hygiene care of every resident is met.
If your loved one suffered an injury or death as a result of poor care in an Urbana, IL nursing home, we invite you to contact the Nursing Home Law Center. Your case will be reviewed by an attorney and you will be contacted shortly.
Our Urbana nursing home neglect lawyers have years of experience in handling personal injury litigation cases throughout Illinois. Our network of attorneys fights aggressively to ensure our clients receive the financial compensation they deserve after suffering negligence or mistreatment at the hands of their caregivers. Our team of dedicated lawyers remains committed to doing everything in our power to obtain successful results for loved ones who have been injured by facility acquired bedsores.
As part of our services to the community, we continuously review publicly available documents and information regarding nursing facilities all throughout the state. We evaluate and assess file complaints, opened investigations, safety concerns and health violations in nursing facilities within the Urbana area. This information is gathered from a variety of sources including the national Medicare.gov database.
The detailed list below is compiled by our Urbana area nursing home attorneys outlining the facilities in the community that currently maintain below average ratings compared to others nationwide. We have also added our primary concerns that detail specific cases where facility acquired bedsores and other crippling pressure ulcer problems have led to serious injury and death of the resident. Some of these cases involve outright negligence, a lack of training or monitoring, miscommunication or failure to document that the serious problem even existed.
500 South Art Bartell Drive
Urbana, Illinois 61802
(217) 384-3784
A “Government Owned and Operated” 243-certified bed Medicaid/Medicare-participating facility
Overall Rating – 2 out of 5 possible stars
Primary Concerns –
Failure to Ensure Residents Receive Proper Treatment to Prevent New Bedsores or Heal Existing Pressure Sores
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated 10/08/2015, a state investigator noted a deficient practice during an annual licensure and certification survey concerning the facility’s failure to “consistently and accurately assess and implement pressure relieving methods and provide increased protein in order to help heal and prevent the development of new and recurring pressure ulcers.” This deficient practice by the nursing staff at Champaign County Nursing Home affected two residents at the facility review for pressure ulcers.
The deficient practice was noted by the state investigator who reviewed the resident’s 09/30/2015 Wound History Report that documents the resident had “one unstageable open pressure wound to the left heel, one Stage II open pressure wound to the right buttock and one open pressure wound to the left buttock. The treatments for each of those wounds listed in the report document interventions including Pressure reducing device for the chair.”
However, even with an intervention in the resident’s Care Plan to use a pressure reducing device intervention while the resident was seated, and observation made by the state investigator at 12:40 PM on 10/05/2015 revealed that the resident “was sitting in his wheelchair at the table in the dining room. There was no cushion on the seat of his chair.”
The following day at 10/06/2015 at 11:55 AM, the resident’s Door Sign Care Plan documented a “four-inch cushion on wheelchair seat.” However, an observation revealed that “there was no cushion noted on the [resident’s] wheelchair.” That same day at 1:15 PM a Certified Nursing Assistant providing the resident care stated that the resident “had been served one portion of puréed Swiss steak […and] ate 100% of his Swiss steak […and] was taken out of the dining room at 2:00 PM without being offered a second portion of protein as ordered.”
Earlier that morning 8:55 AM on 10/06/2015, the Certified Nursing Assistant stated that the resident “was given puréed eggs […and] had eaten 100% of the puréed eggs and that it was one portion.” It was noted by the state investigated that the resident “was not offered extra protein and was taken back to his unit […and] did not have a cushion in his wheelchair at this time.”
That same morning at 10:50 AM, the facility’s Registered Nurse stated that the resident “had everything (wounds) on [their) buttocks was healed. The pressure ulcer on the right buttock just reopened last Thursday or Friday […and further stated that] they are using several interventions to heal and prevent new pressure ulcers from forming, including double protein at meals.”
The following afternoon at 12:55 PM on 10/07/2015, the facility’s Dietary Aide stated that the resident “had puréed pork loin with gravy […and] had been served a single serving of the protein.” The Dietary Aide also noted that the resident “ate 100% of the pork loin [… but,] was not offered any additional protein and was taken back to his unit” without a cushion placed in his wheelchair on the seat.
The following afternoon at 1:55 PM on 10/08/2015, the facility’s Nurse Practitioner stated that double protein had been added to the resident’s diet “for wound healing.”
Our Urbana nursing home neglect attorneys recognize that failing to follow physician’s orders when providing treatment to heal existing bedsores could jeopardize the health and well-being of the resident. The deficient practices by the nursing staff may be considered negligence or mistreatment because their actions failed to follow the facility’s September 2013 policy title: Prevention of Pressure Ulcers with general guidelines that read in part:
“The facility should have a system/procedure to assure changes in condition are addressed. Interventions and Preventative Measures: for a person in a chair, use the cushion as indicated to relieve pressure. Risk Factor: Poor Nutrition: Encourage proper dietary intake.”
1701 North Bowman
Danville, Illinois 61832
(217) 443-2955
A “For-Profit” 200-certified bed Medicaid/Medicare-participating facility
Overall Rating – 2 out of 5 possible stars
Primary Concerns –
Failure to Take Necessary Precautions to Minimize the Potential of Spreading Wound Infections Throughout the Facility
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated 02/25/2015, a state surveyor made a notation during an annual licensure and certification survey concerning the facility’s failure to “ensure that staff washes their hands, use aseptic technique, and prevent cross contamination during a pressure ulcer dressing change.” This deficient practice by the nursing staff at Danville Care Center affect the one resident but has the potential of spreading infection to all residents throughout the facility.
The deficient practice was noted by state surveyor reviewed a resident’s MDS (Minimum Data Set) revealing of the resident was “severely cognitively impaired. In addition, a review was made of the resident’s 02/24/2015 facility Weekly Wound Tracking Report that documented the resident’s pressure ulcers including: Right gluteal fold, Stage IV; Coccyx, Stage II; Right outer ankle, Unstageable; Right lateral foot, (three) all unstageable; Right heel, (two) unstageable; Left heel and Left outer ankle, Unstageable.”
State investigator review the resident’s 01/20/2015 Plan of Care the documents of the resident “is on contact precautions for VRE [vancomycin-resistant enterococci] in the right gluteal pressure ulcer. The same Plan of Care documents [the resident is] with compromised immunity secondary [to their medical condition] and is at risk to develop a secondary infection due to antibiotic use.”
A review of the resident’s February 2015 Physician’s Order Statement documents various steps to treat the resident’s Pressure Ulcers. These include cleansing the area with wound cleanser and rinsing with normal saline, applying “Santyl ointment to necrotic areas and cover with an abdominal (ABD) dressing every day until wound is debrided.”
An observation was made at 2:10 PM on 02/24/2015 with a facility’s Wound Nurse/Registered Nurse who “walked to the treatment cart outside [the resident’s room and] proceeded to set up the treatment administration fluids and ointments without washing [their] hands or applying gloves.” At that stage, the Wound Nurse “took clean gauze from the package and pushed gauze into a cup filled with normal saline using non-gloved fingers, thereby contaminating the gauze and normal saline.”
During the administration of treatment, the Wound Nurse “then entered the resident’s room and applied personal protective equipment (PPE) including gown, masks and gloves.” At that point, a Certified Nursing Assistant “followed, donning PPE. Both walked to [the resident’s] bed and rolled [the resident] to the left side.” The Wound Nurse then “remove the right gluteal fold dressing, covering what appeared to be a Stage IV pressure ulcer […and] then remove the contaminated gauze from the normal saline and started to clean [the resident’s] wound.”
At this stage of the treatment, the Wound Nurse acknowledged “that this wound was a Stage IV and was positive for [highly communicable] VRE.” The nurse measured the resident’s wound by picking up a pen on the bedside table in the resident’s room before recording the measurements of the wound on a piece of paper. At various stages during the treatment, the Wound Nurse “continue to clean the resident’s coccyx area, picked up the contaminated pen with gloves on and recorded the measurements before applying the medicated cream using “contaminated gloves and cover the wound with a hydrogel dressing.” Upon exiting the room, the Wound Nurse did not wash her hands.
Upon returning to the hallway the Wound Nurse failed to don the Personal Protective Equipment before opening up drawers and “pouring normal saline into a cup and handling the gauze with unwashed gloved hands” before finally going into the bathroom to wash her hands.
In a 2:35 PM interview that same day on 02/24/2015, the Wound Nurse “acknowledged that her hand should’ve been washed and gloves used prior to handling the gauze and putting it into the normal saline solution.” In addition, the Wound Nurse also acknowledged that the resident’s “wounds had been contaminated with unclean gauze.”
Our Danville nursing home neglect attorneys recognize the failing to follow procedures and protocols when caring for a resident’s opened VRE (vancomycin-resistant enterococci) infected wounds has the potential of causing cross-contamination which could harm any or all other residents in the facility. The deficient practice by the nursing staff at Danville Care Center might be considered negligence or mistreatment because their actions failed to follow the facility’s 12/08/2002 policy titled: Dressing Change and 03/15/1998 policy titled: Hand Washing that read in part:
“Purpose of the dressing changes to protect wounds, prevent irritation, prevent infection and the spread of infection.”
“Hands should be thoroughly washed before and after providing resident care. Wash your hands before and after all procedures.”
If you believe your loved one has suffered from a facility acquired bedsore, you might likely be entitled to receive financial compensation for their damages, losses and injuries. The Urbana nursing home abuse attorneys at Nursing Home Law Center LLC by aggressively on behalf of our clients to build a solid case for recompense. In addition to listening to the client, we review their medical history, understand their underlying medical condition and determine exactly how the bedsore was developed.
Our team of experts will investigate the nursing facility and events that led up to the development of a facility acquired pressure ulcer. We ensure that every question is answered before building a case for compensation. These questions include:
When and why did the pressure ulcer develop?
Did the nursing staff take every appropriate measure to determine if the bedsore was preventable?
Did the Doctor or Nurse Practitioner make timely assessments and help develop a plan of care and treatment to ensure full recovery from the pressure ulcer?
Was there development, implementation and enforcement of the resident’s Care Plan to ensure that the proper treatment was given?
Did the nursing staff follow the physician’s orders and how to properly treat and care for the existing bedsore to increase its potential to completely heal?
Is there full documentation on the bedsore including its daily and weekly assessments and the type of care and treatment provided to the resident every day?
Did the nursing facility provide immediate notification to the resident’s doctor, responsible party and family members of the resident’s declining change in condition?
Finding the answers to the questions above will help determine the level of responsibility of the nursing staff and nursing home and their failure to provide adequate treatment.
The Illinois nursing home abuse attorneys at Nursing Home Law Center LLC take their responsibility seriously to hold nursing home administrators and staff members accountable for their negligent actions that led to the development of a facility acquired bedsore. If you suspect your loved one suffered injury or death from a preventable bedsore, our team of dedicated personal injury attorneys can help.
Contact us or call today to schedule a free full case evaluation with our Illinois elder abuse lawyers at (800) 926-7565. We accept all Champaign County bedsore abuse cases through contingency fee agreements. This means no upfront payment is required to receive immediate legal representation. All information you share with our law offices will always remain confidential.
Should you have questions about Illinois law related to pressure sores, view our page here.
If you are looking for information on a specific facility or an attorney, please see links below to respective locality pages.
Attorney Jonathan Rosenfeld
Licensed in Illinois
Chicago Attorney Nursing Home Law Center LLC Home