Troubled Nursing Home's Medicare, Medicaid In Jeopardy In Sussex County

SUSSEX COUNTY, NJ — A nursing home where two residents were found dead after a state report says the staff did nothing could face penalties at the federal level up to cancellation of its Medicare and Medicaid programs by March 3.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services notified Woodland Behavioral and Nursing Center in Andover Township that “the immediate jeopardy and substandard quality of care” could cause it to lose payments for new admission. The notification was in a letter sent by the agency’s Northeast Division of Survey and Certification to the facility’s administrator, Menachem Spiegel, on Feb. 9.

Spiegel did not respond to Patch's request for comment.

The long-term care facility — for which the state is appointing a monitor — was expected to face a discretionary denial of payment for new admissions beginning Feb. 22 and must submit a plan of correction. If the center fails to fix its problems, the agency could terminate the facility’s Medicare and Medicaid programs by March 3, the letter said.

The centers' “priority is to promote the health and safety of nursing home residents,” a spokesperson for the agency told Patch on condition of anonymity in an email Thursday. “CMS is working with the New Jersey State Department of Health regarding the serious issues identified at Woodland Behavioral Health and Nursing Center, formerly known as the Andover Subacute and Rehabilitation Center.”

The spokesperson said the agency is working with the state and Woodland Behavioral and Nursing Center to “address the serious issues identified and assess whether the provider can come into full compliance with the standards of CMS programs.”

A state survey uncovered multiple issues at the nursing center, including a resident’s death on New Year’s Day. The 55-year-old resident was found “unresponsive without a pulse or respirations” and was pronounced dead 10 minutes later. The resident had been alive an hour and 35 minutes before, according to state reports, and staff did not use an automated external defibrillator, attempt CPR or call 911.

Another resident was found dead on Oct. 8 after being seen alive by staff 90 minutes earlier. The staff did not perform CPR because the resident appeared “visibly blue,” “had a locked jaw” and was “far too expired,” the report said.

The resident’s families had requested “aggressive, life-saving treatment despite medical decline,” according to the state’s findings.

The Health Facility Survey and Field Operations group also reported between Jan. 31 and Feb. 2, according to state reports.

• Two residents died in November after not receiving Regeneron monoclonal antibody infusions that had been ordered for them.
• A phlebotomist verbally abused and cursed at a resident on Jan. 11.
• In January, a resident was left “soiled in feces” for 10 hours, “despite the resident having a pressure ulcer wound to the sacrum.”
• A resident was ignored on Jan. 16, after calling for help when their catheter was stuck in their motorized wheelchair.
• A state surveyor witnessed a certified nursing assistant verbally abuse a resident on Jan. 26.
• The facility was cited for not properly locking medications near a behavioral unit near a wing where residents “with a history of suicidal ideations” are able to walk freely.
• The facility did not use appropriate infection control after a COVID-19 outbreak between Dec. 23 and Jan. 1, with 102 new staff and 131 new resident cases.
• There were deficiencies noted in certified nursing assistant staffing on all 14 day shifts observed, seven of 14 evening shifts and 10 of 14 overnight shifts.

The facility has begun working on some of the most serious concerns, which gives it "additional time to come into full compliance," the CMS spokesperson stated.

"CMS and the state are working with the provider to ensure it has a comprehensive plan to achieve full compliance as quickly as possible," the CMS spokesperson said. "CMS and the state will review this plan of correction and either accept or reject it. This work is ongoing."

Questions or comments about this story? Have a news tip? Contact me at: [email protected].