Human Resources Perspective
Policy/Procedure: Policies and procedures need to be up-to-date and meet current guidelines, including resident rights.
Training: Educate all staff responsible for administering medications about proper procedure, including the five rights (right medication, right person, right dose, right route, right time). Staff should be trained on medication diversion signs and authorized to report concerns to senior management.
Audit: Periodically perform internal and external audits of the medication administration, documentation, and secure storage process.
A Kansas nurse was found guilty of Medicaid fraud and related charges in three counties, Attorney General Derek Schmidt said. The woman, of Ogden, entered pleas and was found guilty of a total of 10 charges filed by the attorney general’s office in Pottawatomie, Clay, and Geary counties. Her convictions stem from times she was employed as a licensed practical nurse (LPN) at nursing facilities in Wamego, Clay Center, and Junction City.
An investigation by the attorney general’s Medicaid Fraud and Abuse Division, Clay Center Police Department, Junction City Police Department, and Wamego Police Department revealed that during her times of employment at those facilities she forged prescriptions for opioids and intercepted delivery from pharmacies to the nursing facilities, altered records to make it appear that nursing home residents had been timely administered prescription opioids when they had not,altered medical records with other inaccurate information and forged signatures, and exploited internal procedures for discontinued prescriptions.
