State Sues Arlington Nursing Home, Alleging Neglect of Patients

The state is suing Oakwood Nursing and Rehabilitation in Arlington over allegations that patients with pressure sores did not receive proper treatment, including one man who died of an infection after he was hospitalized.

The suit against Oakwood was filed earlier this month in Tarrant County court by the Texas attorney general’s office on behalf of the Department of Aging and Disability Services, the agency that regulates and licenses nursing facilities. The department conducted investigations in March and April of 2013 after receiving complaints about treatment of patients with pressure sores.

The suit is seeking up to $20,000 per violation, alleging that Oakwood violated minimum care standards, and health and safety codes for treating patients with pressure sores, commonly known as bed sores, and for failing to maintain proper medical records.

 The state is also seeking permanent injunctions against the company to prohibit operating nursing facilities in violation of licensing standards and from failing to properly monitor patients with pressure sores.

 Recommended penalties
Gale said the agency recommended penalties including termination of Medicare and Medicaid certification, but the state’s recommendation was rescinded by the federal government. 

 Other recommendations included denial of payments for new Medicare and Medicaid admissions, and the federal government imposed that penalty from May 11 through June 30 of 2013. Oakwood was also ordered to pay a $156,835 penalty.

 Oakwood has also applied to renew its license, which expires on Aug. 1 of this year.

This is the second lawsuit to be filed by the attorney general in recent weeks against assisted living or nursing facilities.

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State Sues Arlington Nursing Home, Alleging Neglect of Patients

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