• 30
  • August
    2010

In July, a jury in Humboldt County patiently listened to testimony by plaintiffs in a class action lawsuit against Skilled Healthcare Group Inc., a holding company with 22 nursing homes in California. Tearful at times, sons, daughters, grandchildren and other family members described living conditions that were sub-standard at best.

Lack of oversight and a shortage of qualified nursing home staff resulted in bed sores, injuries and patients who would sit for hours in soiled clothing. On July 6, the jury found Skilled Healthcare responsible for a number of violations and rendered a $677 million verdict for the 32,000 plaintiffs participating in the class action lawsuit.

As expected, the holding company and several healthcare officials decried the ruling vigorously, with many tort reform advocates claiming the award to be the latest example of unchecked recourse against healthcare organizations.

Still, nursing home inadequacies continue to be a pressing issue from coast-to-coast, with the concerns in California echoing similar complaints in New York.

The staff turnover rate for nursing homes is high across the country. Few nursing homes seem to have the resources or staff to adequately care for all of their residents, while shortages of both often force homes to hire employees who may not be qualified.

For-profit nursing homes, most of which are owned by public companies, have been accused for years of focusing too intently on bottom line profits and not enough on patient care. If the Humboldt County ruling stands, and it seems steady for now, nursing homes across the country have reason to be scared.

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