As most patients in Chicago area nursing homes or skilled nursing facilities are of the age to qualify for Medicare benefits, they are afforded certain legal rights under the Medicare program. Not only can a facility be punished by Medicare if they violate these rights, a violation can also form the basis of a personal injury, medical malpractice, or wrongful death lawsuit if it turns out that a patient is injured or killed as a result of the violation.
Trucker arrested after killing Illinois highway worker
A highway worker died after a trucker struck him and then tried to leave the scene of the accident. The worker was on duty picking up trash at the time of the incident and was reportedly wearing a uniform designed to make the worker more visible.
Nursing homes have responsibility to keep patients secure
A previous post on this blog talked about how an Illinois nursing home got fined after a patient left a nursing home without being noticed. The home received the fine for violating rules and regulations that govern nursing homes.
Nursing home fined after patient dies, another escapes
An Illinois nursing home received a $75,000 fine recently for violations in two unrelated incidents, including a nursing home death. In one case, a patient died after being strangled on his own nightgown straps. In a separate case, a patient left the nursing home undetected.