12 Nursing Homes Accused of Abuse

Christina Cole

Contributor

0 CommentsPrint ArticleSubscribe

Elder care facilities accused of abuse and fraud.

Over a dozen nursing homes that are run by one of the biggest elder care providers in the country are accused of abuse and fraud in a class action lawsuit that was filed in Orange County Superior Court.

The lawsuit accuses thirteen Southern California centers operated by Life Care Centers of America Inc, of having a long history of nursing home abuse and mistreatment. The complaint was filed on Thursday by an attorney on behalf of thousands of California residents that lived in one of the centers between 2003 to 2007.

Garcia accused the company of seeking out "the sickest of the sick who require the most attention" because these patients would bring in higher Medicare payments. The company would then give these patients little attention, Garcia claimed.

He hopes the lawsuit will force the court to order an independent monitor to oversee the company's centers.

The nursing homes are required to be examined every fifteen months, however at times its two or three years between investigations. So, really these places operate un-policed although that is not how it is supposed to be.