Three out of state corporations have purchased over twenty long-term care facilities and nursing homes all across Nebraska. The majority of them rate only 1 star out of 5 with the federal government. Disability Rights Nebraska has issued a call for investigation into these corporations due to their poor ratings and their misconduct in other states.
The three corporations have locations in the following cities:
Adept: Ashland, Blue Hill, Central City, Grand Island, Gretna, North Platte, two in Omaha, South Sioux City, Sutherland, and Waverly.
Emerald: Columbus, Cozad, Grand Island, two in Lincoln, Milford, and three in Omaha.
Prestige Care: Nebraska City, Plattsmouth, and Monument in Scottsbluff.
Research by Disability Rights Nebraska uncovered shocking financial maneuvers by these corporations that have left a trail of devastated employees and residents across other states including:
- Adept’s owners bought a New Jersey facility where annual base rent had been $453,000 and raised the annual rent to $1.75 million. These inflated costs were then used to explain to residents why building improvements, staff raises, and new equipment cannot be made, when actually the owners are simply profiting from Medicaid / Medicare funds.
- Emerald has been caught using—and billing Medicaid for—staff that were not actually licensed nurses. They’ve had to pay large fines in North Carolina and Oklahoma.
- Prestige Care’s primary owner is under indictment by the New York Attorney General for Medicaid/Medicare fraud in his chain of New York nursing homes. Pennsylvania has also found him guilty of defrauding over 6,000 nursing home employees with “malicious” payroll violations.
Conditions within the Nebraska nursing homes are of grave concern. Disability Rights Nebraska has conducted in-person monitoring to examine what life is like in these facilities and learned that staff and residents agree that once the out-of-state corporation purchased the home, quality of life decreased. National studies reveal that patient mortality rates are 11% higher once a private equity corporation purchases a nursing home. Surveys of these facilities in Nebraska revealed:
- An Omaha Adept location (“The Banyan at Montclair), with 175 beds, currently does not even rate 1 star from the federal government. Its conditions are so poor that it has no stars.
- Facilities lack enough basic equipment like “sit to stand” machines. While residents wait for the few machines to be shared among them, there is an increased risk someone will try to get up without help and experience a fall.
- Staff place food trays in front of sleeping residents and then remove the full tray without waking the person or helping them eat.
- Staff failing to check on bed sores / pressure ulcers until actual wounds develop. In one facility with a repeated pattern, staff completed weekly paperwork claiming they checked residents when wounds had developed, causing septic shock and significant dead tissue.
- Persistent smell of urine in the facilities, since there is not enough staff to check and change residents’ undergarments.
“We firmly believe there are Nebraskans of good intent who are working daily to assist people living in these facilities. The residents we interviewed at many of these troubled nursing homes told us, “The staff here are so sweet, they’re just really overworked so they can’t keep anyone for very long.” However, we also firmly believe that the out-of-state millionaire owners are reaping enormous profit while putting the bare minimum amount of funds back into the facilities, leaving the buildings aging, dirty, and inadequately staffed,” said Disability Rights Nebraska attorney Amy Miller.
“Last year, we approached the Medicaid Fraud / Patient Abuse Unit of the Nebraska Attorney General, requesting an investigation,” Miller went on. “Mr. Hilgers did not respond. Since then, we have visited more of these facilities and documented significant concerns. Over 2,500 Nebraskans are living under the leaking roofs of nursing homes owned by millionaires in New York and New Jersey. These businesses are facing indictment, lawsuits and investigation in other states. Nebraskans with disabilities deserve to have the “State’s law firm” step in to examine the financial records of these businesses to see if they are engaging in misconduct here.”
Disability Rights Nebraska CEO Tania Diaz said, “Other states have forbidden these corporations from receiving Medicaid / Medicare funds due to their history of providing poor care and funneling public taxpayer money into their own pockets. We will continue to vigorously advocate for improved conditions within these facilities, but only the Attorney General has the authority to look at the books. Every Nebraskan with a disability who is living in one of these facilities deserves to have their wellbeing, finances and dignity protected.”
Diaz urged, “If you live in a nursing home or you have a family member in one—whether it is owned by Adept, Emerald, Prestige Care, or another entity—you have the right to submit a complaint to the Nebraska Attorney General Medicaid Fraud and Patient Abuse Unit.” The number for the Attorney General is 402-471-2683, or online complaints may be submitted using the form at https://ago.nebraska.gov/medicaid-fraud-and-patient-abuse-complaint-form .
