Home Care Inspections Backlogged As Concerns For Patient Safety Rise in Connecticut

As the senior population grows and individuals seek care outside of hospitals and nursing homes, the demand for home care workers increases. In Connecticut, the Department of Health (DPH) is supposed to inspect Medicare-certified home health agencies every two to three years according to federal rules. But the state finds itself in a six-month backlog and patient safety advocates wonder how this will affect patient care.

Home health agencies have been found in violation and fined for compromising patient health. For example, the Berlin Visiting Nurse Association had violations this year for not testing blood sugars on a diabetic patient, not following a doctor’s dietary orders or obtaining safety equipment, and not alerting social service authorities about a family that needed their assistance. When wrongdoing causes serious harm or a wrongful death, an individual or their family can seek legal action through a Connecticut personal injury attorney to hold the guilty party accountable.

Added to the problem in Connecticut, the DPH does not have the legal authority to levy serious fines. Currently, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) are creating regulations to help penalize and enforce measures with home health agencies. The Connecticut DPH hopes to catch up with the backlog of inspections with new management practices.

But in the meanwhile, individuals and their loved ones are concerned that problems could still arise with agencies and home care workers that do not provide the standard of care they deserve. Medication mismanagement, hospital readmissions, and patients not getting better or more mobile are still occurring. The American Association of Retired People (AARP) rates Connecticut high for long-term care, but puts the state as number 45 for hospital readmissions. AARP estimates that “…more than 2,000 hospital readmissions could be avoided annually if Connecticut improved its performance.”

It all comes down to home health care workers communicating between the patient’s primary care physician, hospitals, the health agency, and accessing the latest community services. “At home a person is completely at the mercy of when the staff comes and what they do when they’re there,” said Judith Stein, executive director of the Center for Medicare Advocacy in Willimantic. “Often, there is no one there to observe and protect.’’

Alexandra Reed writes for Connecticut personal injury law firm, Stratton Faxon. Contact Stratton Faxon to speak with a Connecticut accident lawyer about your personal injury, wrongful death, or Connecticut malpractice case. To learn more, visit Strattonfaxon.com.

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