February 20, 201313 yr Quality of care is NOT an entirely different issue. If you cannot hold nursing homes accountable for their negligence, then the quality of care will continue to deteriorate. What the nursing home industry has done is rather simple. It wants to increase profits (which, I might add, are as high as ever). You can increase profit by cutting costs. You can cut costs by reducing the number of staff. The end result? Nursing homes that are understaffed and overworked. That directly results in sub-standard care for its residents. This bill protects the nursing home industry and its profits. Curbing "junk lawsuits" and "frivolous litigation" is nothing but a red herring that the bill's supporters know will attract attention & draw support for the bill and, unfortunately, it works. Just a guess. It would be a real eye-opener to compare the number of falls and similar injuries suffered by nursing home residents on Saturdays and Sundays vs. weekdays.
February 22, 201313 yr I read it. First I never said that there aren't problems in the system that need to be fixed,, nor did I say that homes that are truly negligent or abusive should not be punished. That said I still very strongly believe that many of the problems in all areas of healthcare are a direct result of our current legal system and I am completely in favor of anything that starts reining in the parasitic attorneys.
February 22, 201313 yr I read it. First I never said that there aren't problems in the system that need to be fixed,, nor did I say that homes that are truly negligent or abusive should not be punished. That said I still very strongly believe that many of the problems in all areas of healthcare are a direct result of our current legal system and I am completely in favor of anything that starts reining in the parasitic attorneys. Do you think holding a nursing home liable for its negligence could ultimately improve the quality of care provided to the elderly?
February 22, 201313 yr Do you think holding a nursing home liable for its negligence could ultimately improve the quality of care provided to the elderly? What more do you want me to say? I've said that negligent nursing homes should be punished. Yes, people who have been damaged should be compensated but I also think that REAL tort reform is needed as well. I'll use an analogy I used during the priest abuse crisis. There's a special place in Hell for people the abuse the elderly. It's right next to where the parasitic attorneys that take advantage of it for their own gain will be. Sent from my Samsung Stratosphere using Forum Runner
February 22, 201313 yr What more do you want me to say? I've said that negligent nursing homes should be punished. Yes, people who have been damaged should be compensated but I also think that REAL tort reform is needed as well. I'll use an analogy I used during the priest abuse crisis. There's a special place in Hell for people the abuse the elderly. It's right next to where the parasitic attorneys that take advantage of it for their own gain will be. If a victim's family doesn't contact an attorney to file a claim, who will "punish" (your word, not mine) these nursing homes? The statistics speak for themselves and provide clear evidence that Kentucky's nursing homes are not able to regulate themselves. Who can hold these facilities accountable for their actions?
February 22, 201313 yr One last thing: SB9 would create a review panel which evaluates the claim's merit. Most certainly, the victim (or the victim's family) would hire an attorney to handle the claim and pay for the evaluation process. If anything, SB9 increases the need for the victim to hire an attorney early on in the process. It does nothing to "reign in parasitic attorneys."
February 22, 201313 yr If a victim's family doesn't contact an attorney to file a claim, who will "punish" (your word, not mine) these nursing homes? The statistics speak for themselves and provide clear evidence that Kentucky's nursing homes are not able to regulate themselves. Who can hold these facilities accountable for their actions? Changes need to be made, I've never said otherwise but until effective nursing homes can operate without worrying if some parasitic attorney is going to target them for a junk lawsuit their resourses are going to be taken away from patient care. That's wrong. I have made my views very clear. You disagree, that's fine. Sent from my Samsung Stratosphere using Forum Runner
February 22, 201313 yr Changes need to be made, I've never said otherwise but until effective nursing homes can operate without worrying if some parasitic attorney is going to target them for a junk lawsuit their resourses are going to be taken away from patient care. That's wrong. I have made my views very clear. You disagree, that's fine. Most nursing homes are for-profit organizations. So to clarify, most of them are worried about losing profit in lawsuits...not "resources".
February 22, 201313 yr Most nursing homes are for-profit organizations. So to clarify, most of them are worried about losing profit in lawsuits...not "resources". Then maybe what we need to do is turn all of our elderly over to the state for care? As many on the opposite side of the political spectrum then I have pointed out regarding extreme gun legislation that has been proposed in some states, this bill will not even get a hearing in the house so why are so many getting upset? Sent from my Samsung Stratosphere using Forum Runner
February 22, 201313 yr Then maybe what we need to do is turn all of our elderly over to the state for care? As many on the opposite side of the political spectrum then I have pointed out regarding extreme gun legislation that has been proposed in some states, this bill will not even get a hearing in the house so why are so many getting upset? Why am I getting upset? I'm getting upset because I've had two family members' lives end in Kentucky nursing home within the last 5 years - both of whom were plagued in their final years by MRSA and C-diff infections, contracted due to conditions in those nursing homes. I'm getting upset because at this point, more than 70% of Americans that live past the age of 65 will need long term nursing care. I hope to live past 65, so that gives me a 7 out of 10 chance of ending up in a nursing home, and if so, this proposed legislature will DIRECTLY impact me. I'm getting upset because I'm a Kentucky resident, and I plan to be a Kentucky resident for life, and 40% of our nursing homes are scoring substandard when rated for quality of care. This proposed legislature is going to prevent people from being able to sufficiently report substandard care. I'm getting upset because for-profit nursing homes represent 68% of nursing homes in the United States, and study after study after study shows that the for-profit homes are the ones providing the vast majority of substandard care - largely due to cutbacks in staffing in order to minimize overhead and increase profit margins. This proposed legislature is backed by those for-profit company owners, and its benefit is to them, and not the residents of their care centers. I'm getting upset because the conservative senators in Kentucky, whom I generally side with, are conducting themselves and the legislative process in such a crooked manner. Would you like me to continue?
February 22, 201313 yr Does anybody know how to impeach a state senator? Its time for BGP to become a political action group! I have a child with a disability and it is pathetic how little of the appropriated funds go for therapy and care services compared to the overhead of the provider agency.
February 23, 201313 yr Pretty bothersome. The Senate actually passed SB9 this week, thanks in large part to Senator Denton's propaganda. One would assume that it does not stand a chance in the House, though. Some interesting tidbits from the 1st article: Ms. Denton stated that she is "confident the public can trust most nursing homes." But for members of the General Assembly who are interested in the facts, here are some: • Kentucky currently has about 23,000, mostly frail, elderly people who are residents in about 280 nursing homes. About half the homes have been cited by federal inspectors for a serious deficiency since 2009. • 40 percent of the homes are rated at below average by the U.S. Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services when it comes to basic health and safety. • In 2012, Kentucky ranked first in overall federal fines for violations and one Kentucky nursing home racked up the nation’s highest fines for the year. • Kentucky ranks first in serious nursing home deficiencies that threaten the safety of residents. Meanwhile, the nursing home business, dominated by large corporate chains, is booming, according to stock performance and CEO salaries, which average $3.3 million a year, according to a fact sheet from AARP. What concerns me about these stats is the writer does not state where they came from. Forgive me if I'm not going to blindly trust what the CJ prints without some evidence to back it up.
February 23, 201313 yr http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20130211/OPINION04/302110017/Nancy-Trentham-Improve-care-Kentucky-nursing-homes?nclick_check=1 And http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20130218/PRIME03/308020010/Nearly-half-federally-funded-nursing-homes-Jefferson-County-rated-below-average
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.