Board that reviews nursing home complaints dismisses most cases
Monday, February 14th, 2005.
A recent review by the Tulsa World reveals that some 83% of cases brought before the Oklahoma State Board of Examiners for Nursing Home Administrators, the state board that regulates nursing home abuse, were dismissed. The board handles licensing, disciplining, and regulating nursing home administrators in Oklahoma. Many of the dismissed cases involved neglect, abuse, severe injuries such as burns, and even death. While the board president defended the dismissals, saying many of the issues are not directly related to administrative faults, the the Department of Human Services’ ombudsman for long-term care, Esther Houser, called the high percentage of dismissals “remarkable.” The review also revealed that one member, Tom Coble, voted to dismiss a case against his own employee; board members are required by law to abstain from voting in cases where they have a financial interest.
From the article:
[Tom] Coble is also one of four nursing home owners on a subcommittee of the board that meets in private to recommend how the board should handle cases. The World‘s review showed the full board voted to uphold the subcommittee’s recommendation every time.
Coble initially said he abstained from voting on the case. When told that the meeting’s minutes showed that he voted, Coble said, ”I wasn’t aware of that, but I guess if that’s what the minutes reflect, that’s what I did.”
State law prohibits members of state boards from voting on matters in which they have a financial interest or stand to benefit. The state Ethics Commission can levy civil penalties for such violations.
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