One of Anchorage, Alaska's largest nursing homes was fined more than $310,000 by CMS after investigators discovered multiple instances of extended isolation of and chronic bedsores on residents, the Anchorage Daily News reported Oct. 2.
Providence Extended Care, a 90-bed long-term care and rehab facility, failed a federal inspection in December. According to the report, some patients had not left their rooms in months, and in one case, a patient was confined to their room for two years. Investigators also found nearly one-quarter of all residents had advanced bedsores — a situation generally considered an immediate health risk.
The violations may have been due to staff shortages and sometimes extreme measures taken to protect at-risk patients from the COVID-19 virus, the report said.
Providence Extended Care has since paid the fine, passed a reinspection and is now in good standing with CMS, an agency spokesperson told the Anchorage Daily News.