The Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals has imposed $3,500 in fines against Country View Nursing Home.  The fines follow a December visit to the facility where investigators determined the facility failed to provide proper care to residents with pressure sores and errors with administration of medication.

A follow-up inspection revealed the initial findings had been substantially corrected, but revealed new problems such as problems with housekeeping, disrepair of wheelchairs, failure of staff to protocol related to the cleaning and feeding of residents, and failure to provide sufficient care to incontinent residents.  As a result of the findings cited in the second inspection, Country View faces a $200 daily fine and denial of payments from Medicare and Medicaid for new admissions.

"We take this very seriously, and we've been working to correct and deficiencies that are in the facility," said Frank Magsmen, a supervisor for the nursing home.  "We believe strongly that it is a quality facility, and we have ongoing consulting coming in to address the issues and work with staff so we can provide the best possible service to the residents of County View."

Country View's Administrator, Jack Musker, acknowledges that a lack of staff training is a big part of the recent problems encountered by the facility.  The facility has been without a staff trainer for nearly a year and relies on temporary employees to fill many positions. "We're sorting out our agency people that we have," Musker said.  "If they can't perform well, we'll ask them not to come back."

Country View is a county-run nursing home in Iowa.  In addition to providing long-term care, the facility also has an intermediate care facility for mentally retarded residents. Read more about this Iowa nursing home here.

Staffing In Nursing Homes

Perhaps the most important predictor of patient care is the nursing home staff.  The staff are responsible for assessing residents and implementing their care.  As nursing home lawyers who prosecute cases on behalf of those injured or killed while a resident in nursing homes.  Most cases come down to the quality and quantity of staffing.  Medicare has put an emphasis on nursing home staffing levels and rates each nursing home in this area.

Nursing Homes Abuse Blog Entries On Staffing

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High Staff Turnover Rates Plague Most Nursing Homes

Nursing Home Injury Laws: Iowa