Roanoke Personal Injury Lawyer - Virginia

Attorneys General Request Suspension of Medicare 5 Star Rating System for Nursing Homes

Dan Frith — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 09:37:08 GMT

Thirty state attorneys general have asked the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to suspend and revise its Five-Star rating system. The Five-Star system, launched in December 2008, gives each nursing facility a rating between one and five stars, based on the facility’s inspection record, staffing levels, and “quality measures” (e.g., percentage of residents with pressure sores or urinary tract infections).

In short, the Five-Star system grades facilities on a curve within a state, and the attorneys general are requesting ratings that could be compared from state to state. It is unclear how much of an issue this is for consumers, since in most (but not all) cases the search for a facility is done solely within one state.

A copy of the request is available on the National Senior Citizens Law Center (NSCLC) website.

My Take: Attorneys General are politicians and money is the financial life-blood of any successful politician. My guess is that deep-pocketed owners of nursing homes made a little telephone call to their state's attorney general and told them the money will stop unless you help us. Unfortunately, the politicians decided money for re-election was more important than informing the public about which nursing homes in their state provide poor care. A sad commentary indeed!

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Dan Frith

Want to Find a Good Nursing Home? Look for Non-Profits

Dan Frith — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 11:25:28 GMT

This story should not surprise anyone. A nursing home focused on resident care and not just making money will usually provide the best care.

Canadian researchers (at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario) have concluded that non-profit nursing homes provide better care than for-profit facilities after reviewing the results of 82 studies from 1965 to 2003.

The review authors calculated that if all nursing homes were non-profit, nursing home residents in the United States would receive 500,000 more hours of nursing care per day. Just imagine how good the care could be with the increased staff!

Who are the non-profit nursing homes in Southwest Virginia. Try these facilities:

1. Our Lady of the Valley

2. Roanoke United Methodist Home

3. Brandon Oaks

4. Kendal at Lexington

5. The Summit (Lynchburg, VA)

6. Westminster-Canterbury (Lynchburg, VA)

7. King's Grant Retirement Community (Martinsville, VA)

8. Kroontje Health Care Center (Blacksburg, VA)

9. Warm Hearth Village (Blacksburg, VA)

My Take: Give these nursing homes your "first look" in you are searching for a good facility.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Dan Frith

Construction Site Death at Virginia Tech: Safety Must Come First

Dan Frith — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 09:25:49 GMT

Local news sources are reporting that just a few days ago, 61-year old Bonnie Tinker of Portland, Oregon was visiting the Virginia Tech campus when she was struck and killed by a dump truck at a construction site on campus. Tinker was one of 1,300 people attending a conference on the campus. The conference was for the Religious Society of Friends, a Quaker group dedicated to social justice. Tinker was often described as a peace activist.

Tinker was cycling through the intersection of West Campus and Drill Field Drives when the dump truck struck her. Students and others familiar with the campus did not identify the intersection as a dangerous. One student, sophomore Shane Duncan, had biked on campus and said that separate lanes on both sides of West Campus Drive made it easy for vehicles to share the road. The intersection was located in an open area. It is still unclear exactly how the accident occurred and police are continuing to investigate.

While currently there is no indication of who was at fault or exactly how the accident occurred, the fact is that construction sites can be dangerous areas. In fact, the OSHA (Occupations Safety and Heath Administration) assumes that there will be over 1,000 construction workers who will suffer a work-related fatality each year. The National Safety Council and Bureau of Labor Statistics track the number of construction-related injuries – but there is little data on the kind of accidents such as the one that took Tinker’s life. About 17% of all personal injury claims related to construction sites are made by non-workers. So while it is less common for passers-by and non-workers to be injured or killed, construction sites do pose a danger and make it important that pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers remain aware of their surroundings on and around construction sites.

My guess is that the tragedy at Virginia Tech could have been avoided.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Dan Frith

Want to Know the Best and Worst Nursing Homes within 50 Miles of Wytheville, Virginia?

Dan Frith — Thu, 14 May 2009 06:33:00 GMT

The information might be important if you are trying to decide where to place a loved one who can no longer care for himself/herself at home. But how can you determine which nursing home is the best? If this issue is important to you, you job just got a lot easier.

The answer is provided by a new "5-Star Quality Rating System" provided by Medicare. The Five-Star System was created to help consumers, their families, and caregivers compare nursing homes more easily and help identify areas about which you may want to ask questions.

The nursing homes receiving the best ratings include:

Westwood Center (Bluefield, VA)

Highland Ridge Rehabilitation Center (Dublin, VA)

Glenwood Park (Princeton, WV)

Radford Nursing and Rehabilitation (Radford, VA)

Heritage Hall - Laurel Meadows (Laurel Fork, VA)

The nursing homes receiving some of the worst ratings include:

Carrington Place at Wytheville - Birdmont Center

Bland County Nursing and Rehabilitation (Bastion, VA)

Golden Living Center - Blue Ridge (Galax, VA)

Maples Nursing Home (Bluefield, WV)

Grayson Nursing and Rehabilitation Center (Independence, VA)

Francis Marion Manor (Marion, VA)

Heritage Hall - Tazewell, Virginia

My Take: Be an informed consumer of health care and do your loved one a favor....check out the nursing home BEFORE you decide what is best for a family member.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Dan Frith

Want to Know the Best and Worst Nursing Homes within 50 miles of Marion, Virginia?

Dan Frith — Mon, 11 May 2009 06:13:00 GMT

The nursing homes receiving the best ratings include:

SW Virginia Mental Health Institute and Geriatric Treatment Center - Marion, VA

Clinch Valley Medical Center - Richlands, VA

Westwood Center - Bluefield, VA

Waddell Nursing and Rehab Center - Galax, VA

The nursing homes receiving some of the worst ratings include:

Francis Marion Manor - Marion, VA

Valley Health Care Center - Chilhowie, VA

Heritage Hall - Tazewell, VA

Grace Healthcare of Abingdon - Abingdon, VA

Edgemont Center - Wytheville, VA

Grayson Nursing and Rehab - Independence, VA

Carrington Place at Wytheville/Birdmont Center - Wytheville, VA

Bland County Nursing and Rehabilitation Center - Bastian, VA

McDowell Nursing and Rehabilitation Center - Gary, WV

Maples Nursing Home - Bluefield, WV

Golden Living Center/Blueridge - Galax, VA

Mercer Nursing and Rehabilitation Center - Bluefield, WV

My Take: Be an informed consumer of health care and do your loved one a favor....check out the nursing home BEFORE you decide what is best for a family member.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Dan Frith

Want to Know the Best and Worst Nursing Homes within 50 miles of Hillsville, Virginia?

Dan Frith — Sun, 10 May 2009 06:00:00 GMT

The nursing homes receiving the best ratings include:

Trinity Mission Health and Rehab - Hillsville, VA

Wytheville Community Hospital ECU - Wytheville, VA

The nursing homes receiving some of the worst scores include:

Golden Livingcenter - Galax, VA

Carrington Place at Wytheville/Birdmont Center - Wytheville, VA

Edgemont Center - Wytheville, VA

Grayson Nursing and Rehab Center - Independence, VA

Heritage Hall - Blacksburg, VA

Bland County Nursing & Rehabilitation Center - Bastian, VA

My Take: Be an informed consumer of health care and do your loved one a favor....check out the nursing home BEFORE you decide what is best for a family member.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Dan Frith

Want to Know the Best and Worst Nursing Homes within 50 miles of Covington, Virginia?

Dan Frith — Sat, 09 May 2009 06:55:00 GMT

The nursing homes receiving the best ratings include:

The Woodlands - Clifton Forge, Virginia

Pocahontas Center - Marlington, West Virginia

The nursing homes receiving some of the worst ratings include:

Brian Center Nursing Care - Low Moor, Virginia

White Sulphur Springs Center - White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia

The Springs Nursing Center - Hot Springs, Virginia

Brian Center Health and Rehabilitation - Fincastle, Virginia

Greenbrier Manor - Lewisburg, West Virginia

The Brier - Ronceverte, West Virginia

Carrington Place at Botetourt Commons - Daleville, Virginia

Heritage Hall - Lexington, Virginia

Salem Health and Rehabilitation - Salem, Virginia

Berkshire Health and Rehabilitation Center - Vinton, Virginia

Avante at Roanoke - Roanoke, Virginia

Pheasant Ridge Nursing and Rehabilitation Center - Roanoke, Virginia

My Take: Be an informed consumer of health care and do your loved one a favor....check out the nursing home BEFORE you decide what is best for a family member.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Dan Frith

Want to Know the Best and Worst Nursing Homes within 50 miles of Lexington, Virginia?

Dan Frith — Fri, 08 May 2009 06:49:00 GMT

The nursing homes receiving the best ratings include:

Benjamin Borden Health Center - Lexington, Virginia

The Woodlands - Clifton Forge, Virginia

Westminister-Canterbury - Lynchburg, Virginia

Summit Health and Rehabilitation Center - Lynchburg, Virginia

Bedford Nursing Home - Bedford, Virginia

Summit Square - Waynesboro, Virginia

What about the worst nursing homes? The following facilities received the worst ratings:

Brain Center Nursing Care - Low Moor, Virginia

The Springs Nursing Center - Hot Springs, Virginia

Medical Care Center - Lynchburg, Virginia

The Carrington - Lynchburg, Virginia

Brian Center Health and Rehabilitation - Fincastle, Virginia

Grace Lodge - Lynchburg, Virginia

Lynchburg Health and Rehabilitation Center - Lynchburg, Virginia

Kings Daughters Community Health and Rehabilitation - Staunton, Virginia

Avante at Waynesboro - Waynesboro, Virginia

My Take: Be an informed consumer of health care and do your loved one a favor....check out the nursing home BEFORE you decide what is best for a family member.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Dan Frith

Want to Know the Best and Worst Nursing Homes within 50 miles of Abingdon, Virginia?

Dan Frith — Thu, 07 May 2009 06:42:00 GMT

The nursing homes receiving the highest ratings include:

Clinch Valley Medical Center - Richlands, Virginia

Heritage Hall - Wise, Virginia

What about the worst rated nursing homes? According to Medicare the list includes:

Grace Healthcare of Abingdon

NHC Healthcare - Bristol, Virginia

Francis Marion Manor - Marion, Virginia

Brain Center Health and Rehabilitation - Weber City, Virginia

Heritage Hall - Tazewell, Virginia

My Take: Be an informed consumer of health care and do your loved one a favor....check out the nursing home BEFORE you decide what is best for a family member.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Dan Frith

Want to Know the Best and Worst Nursing Homes within 25 Miles of Roanoke, Virginia?

Dan Frith — Tue, 05 May 2009 14:31:35 GMT

The nursing homes receiving the highest ratings include:

South Roanoke Nursing Home (Roanoke, VA)

Brandon Oaks Nursing and Rehabilitation Center (Roanoke, VA)

Snyder Nursing Home (Salem, VA)

The nursing homes receiving the worst ratings include:

Avante at Roanoke

Raleigh Court Health Care Center (Roanoke, VA)

Berkshire Health and Rehabilitation Center (Roanoke, VA)

Friendship Health and Rehabilitation Center (Roanoke, VA)

Pheasant Ridge Nursing and Rehabilitation Center (Roanoke, VA)

Virginia Veterans Care Center (Salem, VA)

Salem Health and Rehabilitation Center (Salem, VA)

Brian Center Health and Rehabilitation, (Fincastle, VA)

My Question: Why do we have almost three times as many bad nursing home as good nursing homes?

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Dan Frith