Health regulators have sued Vanguard Healthcare, a nursing home chain based in Brentwood, Tenn., alleging it failed to provide adequate care at some of its locations, reports The Wall Street Journal.
HHS officials in their lawsuit filed Tuesday said the company provided a level of patient care "that caused serious physical and emotional harm to highly vulnerable elderly, disabled and low-income residents at [its] facilities," according to the article. Specifically, health inspectors allege the company failed to provide standard infection control and either gave residents too much medication, gave the drugs too late or issued the wrong medications, the report states. They also claim the alleged poor care cost government insurance programs tens of millions of dollars.
Additionally, according to the report, the lawsuit accused Vanguard officials of forging physician signatures on documents that vouched for the level of care provided at the nursing homes.
The care in question was provided between January 2010 and December 2015.
Vanguard, which filed for bankruptcy May 6, operates facilities in Florida, Mississippi, Tennessee and West Virginia. In the most recent federal case, government officials are seeking about $56.5 million in damages, reports The Wall Street Journal.
William L. Norton III, Vanguard's bankruptcy lawyer, said in the report that the company denies wrongdoing and that its facilities have passed recent inspections. He said he intends to fight the $56.5 million bill submitted by program administrators.
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