Wrongful Death Lawsuit Filed Against Illinois Long-Term Care Center,
Associated Providers and Caregivers
Failure to provide care for residents to prevent the development of pressure ulcers or to implement appropriate wound care when pressure ulcers exist may result in charges of neglect and substandard quality of care with the submission of false claims
Compliance Perspective – Wrongful Death
Policies/Procedures: The Compliance and Ethics Officer with the Director of Nursing will review the policies and procedures related to the prevention of and caring for pressure ulcers.
Training: The Compliance and Ethics Officer with the Director of Nursing will ensure that staff are trained to provide required care; appropriate repositioning; and timely reporting of skin integrity concerns, including development or lack of improvement of residents’ pressure ulcers.
Audit: The Compliance and Ethics Officer with the Director of Nursing should personally conduct an audit of residents with limited mobility by comparing their repositioning care plans with their actual repositioning over all shifts. In a separate audit, they should monitor the status of all pressure ulcers affecting residents who are currently living in the facility.
A wrongful death lawsuit has been filed by a relative on behalf of a man who died while a resident in a long-term care center. The suit alleges that the plaintiff developed a pressure ulcer that contributed to his death due to negligence by the facility and its staff in supervising and assisting the plaintiff with his care.
Along with the care center, the suit names as defendants four other healthcare providers associated with the center and several nurses who participated in his care between December 2016 and December 2017 when he developed the pressure ulcer.
The suit is requesting a jury trial and is seeking more than $50,000.
