Raleigh, TN — Many investigations have been opened against the Spring Gate Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center after a resident’s nephew raised concerns about his aunt’s behavior. A lawsuit has been filed against the nursing home for the improper use of antipsychotic and anti-anxiety drugs were being administered to residents who did not need them. The staff were using these drugs to keep residents “docile.”
The lawsuit filed against the nursing home is for Medicaid and Medicare fraud committed by the Raleigh-area nursing home. The complaint states that the home provided “worthless” services to residents from 2012-2015. The company is responsible for paying a $500,000 settlement and has entered into an agreement with the U.S Department of Health and Human Services to prevent these actions from taking place in the future.
The lawsuit states that Spring Gate, operated under Memphis Operator, LLC, prescribed heavy doses of antipsychotic and antianxiety drugs in 2013″despite the fact that there was never a medically accepted indication justifying such heavy-duty medications.”
The complaint went on to state that under the influence of the drugs, the medication caused “(her) condition quickly deteriorate” and “Spring Gate internal reports described her as confused and unsteady, prone to staring off into space. She fell multiple times … ”
The woman’s nephew is the one who brought life of this situation. He frequently visited her and noticed her condition worsening. When he began to ask questions, the staff was very upfront about their illegal practices. They told him she was prescribed the drugs to “calm her down, to keep her behavior at a manageable level.” As he continued to dig deeper, he learned that this was not only an issue affecting his aunt, but many other residents in the nursing home as well.
The case was investigated by a bevy of government officials including the United States Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the Tennessee State Attorney General’s Office.