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A nursing home in Scott County, Iowa that is already on the list of the nation’s worst nursing homes, has been cited yet again. Already assessed with serious regulatory violations and fines of over $200,000 since 2022, The Ivy has been assessed with new regulatory violations.
Due to its lengthy and troubled history, The Ivy remains on a waiting list for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Special Focus Facilities (SFF).
This article explains more about the SFF list, why The Ivy is among the nation’s worst and the newest violations assessed against the facility.
Here are a few things to know about the Special-Focus Facilities List:
The Special-Focus Facilities List is a program run by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). It is designed to help stimulate quality of care improvements at problematic nursing homes. Throughout the program, facilities have increased regulatory oversight.
The SFF list is limited, providing room for only 88 nursing facilities at a time. Each state typically gets one to two on the list. When a facility becomes eligible for this list, it is placed on a waiting list until a spot opens up. The average waiting time can be as long as four years.
Homes are not chosen based on a pattern of excellence. They are selected because they have a pattern of serious regulatory and quality issues over an extended period.
Facilities on the list receive more frequent inspections. If they fail to improve, they may face termination from Medicare and Medicaid programs.
Due to limited availability, not all poorly performing homes will have an opportunity to be added to the list. Many facilities, like The Ivy at Davenport, are deemed “eligible” for this list, but cannot be added because of the lack of available slots.
Once on the list, facilities may remain there for years. If they improve and “graduate” from the program, they can be removed from the list. If a facility fails to improve, it is terminated from Medicare/Medicaid participation.
While the SFF is an important tool, its limited capacity means many facilities with serious issues may not receive that extra oversight.
The Ivy has been eligible for inclusion on CMS’s Special-Focus Facilities list of the nation’s worst nursing home facilities for months. Due to its long history of poor performance, the Ivy remains eligible for the SFF, but it is still on the waiting list.
According to a recent article in the Iowa Dispatch, the troubles at The Ivy are not new. State regulators cited the home back in 2022 for 39 regulatory violations, an exceptionally high number. Those violations led to $85,318 in federal fines. The situation worsened in June 2023, when the facility was cited for a further 35 violations. Fines at that time resulted in federal fines that totaled $111,040. State officials reported alarming issues during the 2023 inspection, including:
The most recent inspection occurred in early 2024. During this latest inspection, the state assessed the facility for 17 more violations. Proposed state fines against The Ivy totaled $40,500.
The trigger for the 2024 inspection was a serious incident involving a resident who wandered away from the home. This resident’s absence went undetected for an hour. Even then, staff failed to notify the police for an additional two hours. The resident was eventually found by a citizen 5.6 miles from the facility.
Other violations noted in the recent inspection include:
Despite these issues, The Ivy continues to promote itself as a “premier health care center” that offers amenities like “gourmet meals and snacks” for residents.
The facility is partly owned by Ryan Coane, president and CEO of Ivy Healthcare Group, which also operates another problematic nursing home in Marion.
The situation at The Ivy and other troubled Iowa nursing homes underscores the urgent need for improved oversight and stricter enforcement of regulations. It also highlights the limitations of the current SFF program. Serious problems at many severely underperforming nursing homes may be left unresolved for years. As the demand for nursing home care increases, addressing these issues becomes a crucial part of protecting the well-being and safety of our elderly population in the future.
At PKSD, we have built a strong reputation as a trusted law firm in the management of nursing home injury cases. Our experienced nursing home abuse lawyers work diligently to advocate for residents harmed by the negligence of nursing homes and their staff.
Currently, we accept cases of nursing home abuse or neglect in Iowa, Wisconsin and New Mexico. We have a history of proven success, including a $2 million settlement for a victim harmed by nursing home understaffing.
Request a FREE case review with PKSD today. 414-333-3333
This page has been written, edited, and reviewed by a team of legal writers following our comprehensive editorial guidelines. This page was approved by attorney Jeffery A. Pitman, who has more than 28 years of legal experience and handled thousands of personal injury cases while obtaining millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements in Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa and New Mexico.
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