State regulators have imposed a $5,250 civil penalty on the state nursing home for military veterans, an action stemming from a February inspection that found shortcomings of care at the Phoenix facility.
Representatives of the Arizona State Veterans Home agreed to the penalty after initially disputing one of three nursing-home rules violations alleged by Department of Health Services licensing officials.
An enforcement agreement signed by DHS officials and the interim director of the home’s parent agency cited several rule violations. The violations include staff members’ failures to respond to three residents’ call lights in a timely manner, failure of the home to deal with unsafe smoking practices and other potentially dangerous circumstances, and failure to provide necessary care on several occasions.
The findings stem from a routine recertification inspection conducted by DHS personnel and previously resulted in federal Medicare officials imposing a $10,000 civil penalty.
Inspection found patients in ‘immediate jeopardy’
The state inspectors’ findings included a determination that patients were in “immediate jeopardy,” but DHS officials said April 3 they were confident that conditions at the home had improved and that home officials were on track to take necessary corrections.
“Really our primary goal is to make sure patients are safe and that happened back in February,” said Lisa Wynn, DHS deputy assistant director for licensing.
Gregg Maxon, a retired National Guard brigadier general appointed last week as interim director of the state Department of Veterans’ Services, said state regulators were fair and that he made “the business decision” to not appeal their findings.
“We need to have some finality to this,” he said.
Wynn said home officials initially disputed a finding that a patient hadn’t received necessary ostomy care, but regulatory officials upheld the finding.
At issue in that finding was whether supplies to provide the care were available to night staff, Maxon said. “I wasn’t there so I can’t really say what happened.”
Maxon was appointed interim director after the March 27 resignation of Patrick Chorpenning. Chorpenning resigned one day after Gov. Janet Napolitano removed him from responsibility for the home.
The problems at the home were first publicly reported March 23, the same day that Napolitano said she learned of the situation. However, public records released Friday indicated that DHS officials notified senior Napolitano aides about the situation on Feb. 9, while inspectors were still at the home, and on days immediately following.
The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office has started a criminal investigation, and a special legislative committee has been established to review conditions at the home and the state’s response.