Full Forecaste

Past Month's Most Commented Stories

Home > Area News

Frontier remains on state's 'worst nursing home' list

Wednesday, February 13, 2008 5:46 AM PST

By Barbara LaBoe
blaboe@tdn.com

Font Size:
 
 

A Longview nursing home remains on the federal government's latest "worst nursing homes" list released Tuesday, but local officials are disputing those findings.

Evergreen Frontier Rehab & Extended Care Center, 1500 Third Ave., was on the initial list of 56 homes released in November. Tuesday, the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released an expanded list of 131 homes.

"This is the latest in a series of steps we will be taking to improve quality and oversight in nursing homes," Kerry Weems, CMS acting administrator, said in a press release.

Making the list doesn't change a nursing home's status or ability to operate, but regulators hope it will prod the facilities to improve. Nursing homes with life-threatening violations still can be closed to new residents or shut down completely in extreme cases.

Evergreen officials Tuesday released a statement defending their 140-bed facility, adding that the list itself is part of a flawed federal process.

Frontier "strongly disagrees" with its inclusion on the list, according to the press release from Yvoan Luyt, executive director of the Longview facility. "Frontier's last survey indicates that the facility continues to make significant progress in correcting any outstanding deficiencies."

Saying it has committed "significant resources" to stabilize staffing and management, the management team "believes that it will be found in substantial compliance with all Medicare and Medicaid participation requirements prior to any (subsequent) revisit."

In addition, Frontier officials say the entire process of how the list is created is unfair and possibly illegal.

"The exact mechanisms for how a facility makes it on the list are still unknown," the press release states. And, once on the list, "nursing facilities have been subject to an intensified and mandatory penalty scheme that is not found in any statute within the Medicare and Medicaid Acts."

According to the federal government, nursing homes make the Special Focus Facility (SFF) list after showing a consistent lack of improvement during inspections. Nursing homes receiving federal funds are required to be inspected annually; homes on the SFF list are visited more often.

Evergreen Frontier has been on the SFF list for 37 months, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Its most recent inspection was in January, but those results are not yet posted on the agency's nursing home compare Web site, http://www.medicare.gov/NHCompare.

Previous inspections showed concerns about inadequate prevention of bedsores, failing to meet residents' nutritional needs and neglecting to make sure residents receive help eating, drinking and grooming if they can't do so themselves.

The new list breaks the nursing homes into categories such as newly added, facilities that have not improved and facilities that have shown improvement. The Frontier Evergreen facility is listed under "facilities that have not improved."

Two other Washington nursing homes are on the list. One, in Auburn, was recently added. The other, the Evergreen Centralia Health & Rehabilitation home, is no longer participating in Medicare or Medicaid programs, according to the CMS list. Telephone calls to the troubled Centralia center were not answered Tuesday.

Following the release of the November list, Frontier officials released a letter from the resident council president of the Longview facility, which was also signed by the rest of the resident council.

"We are being well taken care of," Frontier resident Ernie Turner wrote in the Dec. 10 letter. "To me we have the cream of the crop (staff)."

Frontier officials also stressed that they feel they're providing quality care to all of their residents.

"Frontier believes strongly in the quality of care it provides its community and is committed to providing that care regardless of how large a shadow CMS has unjustly tried to cast upon it," the press release states.

Previous Next

shame wrote on Feb 13, 2008 7:24 AM:

" what a shame! another sparking feather in Longview's dirty cap "

Keep up the good work wrote on Feb 13, 2008 7:55 AM:

" The team at Frontier is really working hard to improve the building. People need to remember that the administration in the building is new and it will take time to correct over three years of problems. Let's stop beating a dead horse TDN and let's ask the community what would we do with all the people if Frontier was not accepting patients. Where would they go? Portland or Vancouver? Let's support the efforts being made instead of making the building an enemy. That accomplishes nothing. Really, those concerned should speak to the DNS or administrator to find out the efforts being made. Also, it seems to me that the residents feel cared for according to the letter they issued. "

Reality Check wrote on Feb 13, 2008 9:56 AM:

" SHAME ON THE COMMUNITY for letting the facility that provides care to your mothers, fathers, grandparents and many others make this list. This is our community. We would be infuriated if R A Long or Mark Morris made the State's Worst School list. If you were leaving town for a month, and had a prized pet you were taking to the boarders, would you leave your pet in a kennel of foul-smelling urine? The conditions we have allowed in our senior care facilities is atrocious. Having said that, I hope many understand that to stay in a nicer facility like Canterbury costs between $4,000 and $5,000 per month. And god-forbid that you should need medical transport to and from the hospital for dialysis or an MRI, because it will cost you between $600 and $700 PER TRIP. $1200 to taxi you across town in an ambulance. MEDICAID will NOT pay for you to place your loved one in a clean, well-funded and nice facility. Nothing but the bottom of the barrel for your State-paid care. Does anyone else see the rape of the American senior...and does anyone care? So far, the actions of Americans show they do NOT care that their elders are thrust into these low-grade facilities. "

Anonymous wrote on Feb 13, 2008 10:42 AM:

" May be we are suppose to take care of our own instead of shipping them off to some facility? "

Reap what they sew... wrote on Feb 13, 2008 11:12 AM:

" They deserve to be on that list, peroid...and that comment is from personal experience. "

Family First wrote on Feb 13, 2008 11:15 AM:

" If everyone wants to really keep their families safe and sound in ANY nursing facility, keep visiting your family. Don't wait for official visit days and times. Show up early in the AM, or later in the evening. Walk around with your family if they are able too. Look for yourselves and talk with the care givers. It is a shame to see, but if you pay REGULAR attention to your family member, the local staff will also. The people who are usually neglected, or abused are those with no visitors, no hope, and usually little money to ensure a happy recovery or last moments. Even the fancy, high end places have neglected and abused patients but usually money and regular visits minimize those locations. "

Longviewteen wrote on Feb 13, 2008 11:15 AM:

" ""Frontier's last survey indicates that the facility continues to make significant progress in correcting any outstanding deficiencies."



Wow, how bad is that when the nursing home is making all this progress and STILL is one of the worst nursing homes in the nation. Pathetic "

BIG SUPRISE wrote on Feb 13, 2008 12:05 PM:

" NO SHOCK THERE "

re reality check wrote on Feb 13, 2008 12:23 PM:

" It seems R.A. Long was deemed a drop out factory not so long ago. Check your facts first.
If you want first hand information , work in a nursing home , I have in more than one .
The problem is staffing , short handed and nurses that refuse to help other than push pills and paper, yes you know who you are! When the staffing on the floor is short.
Many times on the mid night to seven shift the staff is minimal.
You try to keep your people dry and turned, but the work load can be overwhelming if lots of people need bed changes, then the rest get neglected, and so it goes. This work pattern is the same or worse in many nuring homes , they under staff to make a buck, and when some one does not show it just gets worse. "

To Longviewteen and other nay sayers wrote on Feb 13, 2008 12:38 PM:

" Do you realize what it takes to pull together a facility that has been so deep in the whole? The new administration has only been there a short time and have three years of bad crap to turn around. The turn around will not happen overnight, just as it took three years for the building to deteriate.

Also, does anyone know how much it costs to care for these medicare/medicade patients? It is quite significant and the amount that the state pays often doesn't cover the bill. Who picks up the rest of the costs? Does the family? Not typically.

It is typical Longview who expect that they DESERVE something for FREE. I have an idea--why not take the money from the welfare recipients (god forbid they get a job) and put it towards our elders. They should be honored and cared for, not the people who aren't willing to take care of themselves and their families by getting a job, even if it is at a fast food restaurant.

"

dman wrote on Feb 13, 2008 1:42 PM:

" Two of the three facilities from the State of Washington that made the report are owned by Evergreen Healthcare…I think I see a pattern. "

big shock wrote on Feb 13, 2008 9:06 PM:

" This is what you get when you let big corperations take over nursing homes. All they care about is how much money they can squeeze out of the system. These people are making lots of money and they hired the new guy to max there profits. In doing so he has gotten rid of all the experienced help because they where making to much money. I feel sorry for the residents that don't get the care they should and the caring employees that have way to much on their plate. These places need to be operated by people in our community, not someone that is flying around in their corperate jet and living in big houses. I don't know how they can sleep at night. I worked at frontier and the stress was too much. I do know from experience in life what goes around comes around.


"

took care of mine wrote on Feb 13, 2008 10:48 PM:

" The thing that really bothers me when I hear people talk about elders on medicare and etc. is these are people who worked hard all their lives and pull their weight and got this country this far to be treated so badly is criminal,we could not be had they not been,hard working, strong and brave yet now when they need us we forget... God bless the child who got his own,we have spent their money now we don't want to help them,shame on us "

pangborn wrote on Feb 14, 2008 4:40 AM:

"
I spoke the truth in my last attempt to comment on this subject.

I have, at least, a little knowledge of resthomes and the lack of care.

For a reason unknown, TDN did not print it.


"

Misinformed wrote on Feb 14, 2008 5:30 AM:

" Maybe if you would have checked your facts you would have known that the Centralia facility was affected by the December floods. The residents were transfered to various facilities. The company is currently having to completely remodel related to flood damage. No wonder no one answered the phone or returned you call! "

Resident wrote on Feb 14, 2008 5:39 AM:

" Family First is absolutely correct. Make
yourself visible at odd hours of the day
and evening and get to know the staff who cares for your loved one and they
will always receive better care. I know
i have had that experience. "

interesting wrote on Feb 14, 2008 9:23 AM:

" The problem is not the facility or the workers, not even the state funding...the real problem here folks is the whole system!! Healthcare is a huge problem all across america. When are we going to put someone is office that is going to actually make a difference?? I would love to see free healthcare to all americans, I mean why shouldn't the government take care of their people? so many other countries do!! so why is america the only "mega power country" with worst healthcare than some "starving" countries?...well its simple MONEY, these big businesses who own these healthcare companies only make money when they dont care for thier patients. How nice for us who get sick! "

caregiver wrote on Feb 14, 2008 12:06 PM:

" It's not just the frontier its other retirement homes that have been around for years that poeple put their trust in.They just don't get mentioned because people think if they pay higher dollar for care out of pocket their family members will recieve better quality care.But the retirement homes run just as short staffed as a nursing home.So TDN go interview and write a story about all of them in our longview area to get the real truth out there. "

Frontier and Evergreen wrote on Feb 14, 2008 7:23 PM:

" Equals a quick DEATH sentence. Remember that these people care first about their payckeck and second about any care for your relative. They view this business as a money pit, not a care facility - providing the absolute minimum (or less) of care necessary to keep your loved one alive. They have earned their spot on this list and must stay their until they can prove an element of CARE. "

Top Jobs
More Top Jobs
Top Garage Sales
More Top Garage Sales
Top Rentals
More Top Rentals