Pennsylvania Sues Nursing Home Chain Alleging Poor Care and False Advertising

AG Bruce Beemer

Attorney General Bruce Beemer announced Friday that his office has filed a lawsuit a Pittsburgh-based nursing home chain, alleging that it failed to provide basic care, falsified records, and billed the Commonwealth and residents for services never provided.

The lawsuit, filed against 12 nursing homes owned by Grane Healthcare Co., accuses the company of violating the Commonwealth’s Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law for misrepresenting the care and staffing it promised residents.

“These alleged misrepresentations not only deceived the residents of these facilities, but Grane’s business practices also degraded residents and increased the risk of negative health consequences,” Beemer said in a statement. “We believe there is ample evidence that these facilities fell far short when it came to providing essential services.”

The lawsuit against Grane is one of several that the attorney general has filed since last summer against Pennsylvania nursing homes. In October, Beemer announced a $2 million settlement with the Reliant nursing home chain. A lawsuit against the Golden Living chain is still pending.

According to the attorney general’s lawsuit, Grane advertised to customers that it strives for high staff-to-patient ratios and that sicker residents will get more care. The office says those claims were deceptive, misleading and unfair.

Its allegations include:
*Incontinent residents were not checked and changed for hours, leaving them in wet and soiled clothing and bedding.
*Continent residents were not given timely assistance for using restrooms, causing them to urinate and defecate in their clothes.
*Because of inadequate staffing, showers were skipped, residents were left in their pajamas all day, and residents who needed help eating weren’t fed.
*Staff excessively and inappropriately used pharmacological drugs to restrain residents.
*Records were falsified to show residents got care they never received.

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Pennsylvania Sues Nursing Home Chain Alleging Poor Care and False Advertising