Thursday, August 5, 2010

State fines Collinsville nursing home

Rehab center says report inaccurate


By Ken West

A Collinsville senior care center is appealing more than $25,000 in fines levied against it earlier this year. The Illinois Department of Public Health said the fine is the result of a Dec. 5 incident that "involved abuse and neglect of a patient."

Collinsville Rehabilitation & Health Care Center, 614 Summit Ave., was fined $20,000 by that state agency and $5,300 by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. CMS, a federal agency, works with the state Department of Public Health to certify that nursing homes meet Medicare standards and conducted the investigation.

In reports dated Jan. 6, the state and federal agency allege the Collinsville facility failed to provide a safe living environment for a female resident who feared sexual assault from a male resident. According to those agency reports, the man allegedly entered the woman's room and pulled up her skirt, leaving only after she screamed. Jifi Jacob, administrator for the Collinsville facility, said the Illinois State Police investigated the incident, but no charges were filed against the man.

Melanie Arnold, spokeswoman for the state Department of Public Health, said the nursing home did not conduct a criminal background check as required when the man was admitted.

But Jacob said they are appealing because their background check did meet requirements. He said the Illinois Department of Corrections placed the man at their facility and did not tell them the man posed a threat.

"We checked the National Sex Offender Registry and he was not listed," Jacob said.

The man was at the center 14 days, Jacob said. He said other facts in the state and federal reports are incorrect also.

"We are actively appealing that decision," he said.

Liz Surgner, public affairs officer for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said that agency added its fine because the nursing home did not report the incident to them as required. She said a follow-up visit by the agency showed the Collinsville center was back in compliance with Medicare rules by Jan. 15.

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State fines Collinsville nursing home

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