Roseville patient under nurse's care dies weighing 80 pounds
Updated: Dec. 10, 12:10 p.m. | Posted: Dec. 9, 6:30 p.m.
A patient became "profoundly" malnourished while in the care of a registered nurse employed by the Roseville location of Interim HealthCare of the Twin Cities, the Minnesota Department of Health has found. The agency made public the finding of neglect on its website Tuesday.
The unidentified patient weighed 80 pounds, was covered in feces and urine, and had "a very large pressure ulcer and a severe blood infection" when admitted to the hospital on July 1, according to the report. The patient died in hospice two weeks later.
The nurse, who also was not identified, told investigators the patient wanted to stay at home rather than go to a nursing facility. The nurse "stated s/he did not know the patient had lost weight or had wounds."
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The Department of Health found the patient had not been given a thorough check up for months before, including being weighed despite a diagnosis of "failure to thrive and Parkinson's disease." A year ago, the patient weighed 105 pounds and a physician noted the person had difficulty swallowing.
Because of the finding of neglect, the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said Interim HealthCare of the Twin Cities "is precluded from conducting home health aide training and/or competency evaluation for a period of two years" as of late August.
The nurse was fired August 26 and reported to the Board of Nursing, the report said.
Under a corrective plan, Interim HealthCare of the Twin Cities must re-train all clinicians in how to handle clients who are not cooperating in their care, and pay attention to warning signs such as no food or heat or air conditioning.
Interim HealthCare, based in Florida, has 330 locations in 44 states, according to the company's website.
When contacted about the health department's findings, a company spokeswoman provided the following comments by email. "The well-being of all patients of Interim HealthCare franchisees is our highest priority. We take very seriously any incident that occurs. We are committed to continuous improvement and we are constantly updating our processes, policies, procedures and controls.
"Our franchisee has worked with the Department of Health to address the issues presented and put a plan in place for correction that has been approved by that authority."