Posted on July 5, 2010 by Jonathan Rosenfeld

Nursing Home Bookkeeper Admits To Stealing Money From Facility

Sadly, at a time when many are feeling severe financial strain, some nursing home operators and employees are turning to another source of potential income-- stealing state and federal funds intended for nursing home patients.

The most recent case of stealing or Medicare fraud-- which is essentially what most of these cases come down to because that is where most funds derive-- comes from Missouri.  Connie Jean Beckerman, the former bookkeeper at Perryville Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, pleaded guilty to: forgery, stealing by deceit, and abuse of a person receiving health care-- all felonies.

The criminal acts were perpetuated between September 2007 and October, 2007 put more than $14,500 in Ms. Beckerman's pocket.

While Ms. Beckerman's profit may seem like small potatoes, these criminal acts must be fully prosecuted to the fullest extent possible in order to deter other acts from occurring at the facility and others.

Read more about this case of financial fraud in a nursing home here.

Related Nursing Homes Abuse Blog Entries:

When The Going Gets Tough, Some Nursing Homes Turn To Medicare & Medicaid Fraud

If I Work In A Nursing Home Where I Suspect Fraud, Can I File A Qui Tam or Whistleblower Lawsuit?

 

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Posted on December 29, 2008 by Jonathan Rosenfeld

It's Cold Out. Do You Know Where Your Nursing Home Resident Is?

Another completely preventable nursing home death recently made the headlines as reported in STLtoday.  Employees at the Northgate Park Nursing Home left 95-year-old Fannie Mae Rooks in her wheelchair in an outdoor smoking area at the facility last week. Rooks reportedly died from exposure to the elements as she sat unattended in the cold weather.  Local police investigators are trying to determine how Ms. Rooks made her way into the smoking area and how nursing home employees failed to keep track of her whereabouts.  

Once again, I am amazed how nursing homes continually fail to provide even the most basic level of care to their residents.  In this case, it is likely several nursing home employees were in a position where they should have seen this elderly lady sitting outside and brought her safety.  Until nursing home owners are held responsible for the preventable injuries and deaths of their residents, situations involving nursing home neglect will continue to be an ongoing problem facing nursing home residents.

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