Two Signature Healthcare nursing homes in Memphis, Signature Healthcare at St. Peter Villa in Midtown and Signature Healthcare at St. Francis on the campus of St. Francis Hospital on Park Avenue, have been the subject of recent scrutiny by the Tennessee Department of Health. Thanks to the reporting of WREG in Memphis, the mismanagement and mistreatment of patients at these Memphis nursing homes has been brought to the public’s attention. Unfortunately, we at the Jehl Law Group have seen a number of cases involving residents who have been neglected at these facilities over the years.
The evidence of the mistreatment of patients that Signature Healthcare has caused is available in public surveys conducted by the State of Tennessee and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. These surveys provide an essential monitoring of nursing homes and often expose neglect and abuse of residents. These surveys are essential in gauging how nursing homes may have mistreated their patients and/or misused money received through Medicare and Medicaid.
Due to recent findings by State Surveyors, Signature Healthcare at St. Francis had its payments from Medicare temporarily revoked last week for what was described as mismanagement. As a result, the facility had to move many of its patients to other facilities.
Unfortunately, some legislators in Nashville feel that these surveys constitute an undue burden on nursing homes and that nursing homes should not be held fully accountable for their past failings. Due to recent changes in Tennessee law, if a case against a nursing home goes to trial, injured residents will now be limited in how they may present evidence set forth in state surveys.
By limiting how these surveys come into evidence at a trial, nursing homes are not held fully accountable for patient neglect and abuse determined to exist by state surveyors.