The Carlyle Group gave quality assurances when it purchased giant nursing home provider ManorCare. They included establishing a quality committee with former HCFA Chief and ManorCare board member Gail Wilensky. The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) promised to keep an eye on ManorCare's quality. The union later reneged.
The Des Moines Register reported:
ManorCare nursing home in West Des Moines is in trouble. It has been hit with $21,500 in fines for neglect of its residents this year. New admissions have been restricted, and the federal government last month decertified the home, which means it cannot collect taxpayer money for resident care.Cutting off Medicare and Medicaid payment has management's attention. One might expect ManorCare's Quality Committee or the SEIU to deliver on their promises. So far, both are silent.
What's ManorCare's solution? Have state legislators press their case. Applying political pressure, on that Carlyle is consistent.
As for Gail Wilensky, she was at a Comparative Effectiveness Research forum last week. The National Pharmaceutical Council and America’s Health Insurance Plans sponsored the event. Corporate sponsored health care, it's America's future.
