Nursing Home Fine Rescinded- The Importance of Medical Records in Proving Fault
By nursing-home-lawyer | April 22, 2007
Here’s a story from Grand Rapids about a fine being rescinded due to lack of evidence. It is important to ask for and maintain accurate medicalĂ‚Â records for loved ones in nursing homes.
GRAND RAPIDS — State health officials have rescinded a citation and fine against a local nursing home accused of giving an overdose of pain medication to a 76-year-old woman dying of cancer.
The state Department of Community Health initially found in December that Heartland Health Care, 2320 East Beltline Ave. SE, had prescribed too much painkiller to Patricia Corrigan.
But health officials determined last week the company had followed proper guidelines calling for testing a patient’s tolerance to drugs with smaller dosages before increasing the drugs.
Mike Dankert, the state’s bureau of health systems director, also said there was not enough recorded medical evidence to support a definitive overdose diagnosis.
“We never got anything definitive at the hospital where she was taken to track the over-medication claim,” he said.
Corrigan was transferred to Spectrum Health Butterworth Campus on Oct. 30 after her pastor and legal guardian, the Rev. Bill Lyons, questioned her treatment at Heartland.
She recovered at the hospital and later lived at Saint Mary’s Living Center and Hospice of Michigan, but died April 15 of cancer.
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Topics: Medical Records, Michigan Nursing Homes |
