Milton (Mass.) HC Operating must pay a $90,000 settlement to resolve allegations that it neglected a resident, which resulted in death, and failed to comply with regulations requiring certain protocols in emergency situations, according to a June 24 news release from Attorney General Maura Healey.
In 2019, the attorney general's Medicaid Fraud Division began investigating Milton-based Brush Hill Care Center, which is run by Milton HC Operating. According to the investigation, a resident was found unresponsive Oct. 30, 2017. Brush Hill allegedly failed to adequately respond to the emergency situation, delayed designating the situation as an emergency, didn't call a code blue on the intercom, and delayed contacting emergency medical technicians after finding the resident unresponsive, according to the attorney general. The resident died later that day.
The settlement also resolves allegations that Brush Hill failed to comply with regulations requiring long-term care facilities ensure staff competencies in emergency responses.
The $90,000 will go to the Long-Term Care Facility Quality Improvement Fund, a fund administered by the Department of Public Health to improve safety and quality of care in long-term care facilities. Brush Hill must also implement an internal compliance program and annually certify compliance with long-term care regulations to the attorney general's office for three years.
Becker's has reached out to Brush Hill and will update this article as more information becomes available.