Healthcare Compliance Perspective:
Substandard quality of care arising from ineffective training can form the basis for an allegation of fraud.
A fine was assessed by the Department of Public Health (DPH) on a Connecticut nursing home. The fines were assessed for varying violations, all of which involved either injuring or jeopardizing the safety of a resident.
A fine of $3,000 involved a facility in New Britain that was cited for an infraction that occurred over about than a two-month period of time and involved a resident with chronic respiratory failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The resident was repeatedly placed on a trilogy machine with a faulty pressure cuff. The staff was not trained on how to use the trilogy machine, and did not notice that the pressure cuff was malfunctioning. Due to the staff’s lack of knowledge about operating the machine, the ventilator cuff had not been measured and adjusted for the resident. During this two-month period the resident required hospitalization. The citation required the facility to submit “an immediate action plan” agreeing to not admit any residents who would require the use of the trilogy machine. The DPH further required that “all licensed staff and respiratory therapists” receive training on the trilogy machine and other non-invasive ventilators.
