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DON at Nursing Home Pleads Guilty in Pressure Ulcer Neglect Case

The director of nursing for a now-closed skilled nursing facility plead guilty pled guilty in federal court to a charge in connection with making false statements related to care at the nursing home.

The defendant was originally indicted on eight counts of making false statements related to health care matter at the “Brian Center” nursing home, which late changed its name and then closed in late 2012.

The current defendant is one of multiple employees at the nursing home charged with crimes related to care.

One of the patients, had a severely infected pressure sore with feces-filled bandages covering it, while another had pressure ulcers neglected to the point that maggots were discovered inside one of the wounds.

The charges against both defendants followed a raid conducted at the nursing home by agents with the IRS Criminal Investigation’s Unit, Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Virginia Attorney General’s Office Medicaid Fraud Task Force.

According to the Times News, “[t]he multi-agency investigation centered on possible violations of wire fraud, mail fraud, health care fraud and money laundering. Federal authorities have said that more charges in the case could be filed in the future.”

Eventually, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) terminated the status of the Brian Center — as a Medicare and Medicaid provider, and it eventually closed down.  Like many nursing homes, this one had a “consistent failure to comply with federal regulations regarding quality of care and other deficiencies” per the Times-News.

The facility had been a “special focus” facility, a status given to the worst nursing homes, after getting a one-star out of five rating.

South Carolina nursing home abuse and Charleston nursing home neglect are serious issues, and the attorneys at Hughey Injury Lawyers practice as nursing home abuse attorneys throughout South Carolina and would love to meet with you to discuss any claim you may have.  There is no charge for an initial meeting.  Read more.