Many times, state and federal regulators levy substantial and, more often, minimal ($100) fines against facilities when serious injury and deaths occur. The question is how meaningful these fines are and whether they help change how the facility operates.
The Miami Herald ( 12-31-11) recently featured an article regarding assisted living facilities in Florida that received fines as a result of deaths caused by a variety of negligent acts, such as scalding, but yet continued to receive enormous amounts of public funding for resident care. The point of the article focused on the fact that regulatory fines and sanctions do little to correct poor practices when millions of dollars continue to pour into the facilities accused of resident neglect and misconduct.
Paying millions to facilities that fail to provide safe and adequate care raises serious questions about our regulatory system.
Perhaps closing more facilities in cases of egregious misconduct would prompt positive changes in an industry that treats fines like parking tickets.
olsmanlaw
i think the $100 fines being asked from facilities whose clients suffered from serious injuries and/or deaths is not enough. such figure can be easily accumulated by private nursing homes considering the amount being asked from the client or client’s family for their stay in the said institution. i certainly affirm to your suggestion on closing those nursing institutions who fail to provide the best nursing care to the clients rather than asking them for fines. with this, i believe that the administration of a certain nursing home will be more strict to their nursing staff in attending their clients.