Claiborne & Hughes Convalescent Center, Inc. v. State, Department of Health

881 S.W.2d 671, 1994 Tenn. App. LEXIS 199
CourtCourt of Appeals of Tennessee
DecidedApril 8, 1994
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 881 S.W.2d 671 (Claiborne & Hughes Convalescent Center, Inc. v. State, Department of Health) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Tennessee primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Claiborne & Hughes Convalescent Center, Inc. v. State, Department of Health, 881 S.W.2d 671, 1994 Tenn. App. LEXIS 199 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1994).

Opinion

OPINION

TODD, Presiding Judge.

The State of Tennessee, Department of Health (“the Department”) has appealed from a judgment of the Trial Court reversing an administrative decision imposing a civil penalty of $1,000 upon Claiborne and Hughes Convalescent Center, Inc. (“the Center”) for violation of T.C.A. § 68-ll-811(b), and Section 1200 — 8—6—.4—(2)(f)(I)(VT) of the Regulations of the Department relating to deficient nursing homes.

-Issues on Appealr-

The appellant, State of Tennessee, Department of Health, presents the following issues:

1. Whether the Trial Court erred in construing T.C.A. § 68 — 11—803(b)(1) to require that the State must demonstrate “willful neglect” of nursing home residents before the State may assess type B civil monetary penalties upon a nursing home.
2. Whether the administrative record contains substantial and material evidence [672]*672of the petitioner nursing home’s “neglect” of patient “S” in this case.
3. Whether, assuming arguendo, that T.C.A. § 68-ll-803(b)(l) must be construed to require a showing of “willful neglect,” the Trial Court erred in holding that there was no substantial and material evidence of “willful neglect” of patient “S.”

-The Law and Regulation-

Title 68 of Tennessee Code Annotated is devoted to the subject of “Health.”

Chapter 11 of Title 68 is entitled, “Health Facilities and Resources.”

Part 1 of Chapter 11 provides for issuance of “Certificates of Need” for health facilities.

Part 2 of Chapter 11 is entitled, “Regulation of Health and Related Facilities.”

T.C.A. § 68-ll-201(15)(A) and (B) provides:

“Nursing home” means any institution, place, building or agency represented and held out to the general public for the express or implied purpose of providing care for one (1) or more nonrelated persons who are not acutely ill, but who do require skilled nursing care and related medical services.
“Nursing home” shall be restricted to facilities providing skilled nursing care and related medical services to individuals, beyond the basic provision of food, shelter and laundry, admitted because of illness, disease or physical infirmity for a period of not less than twenty-four (24) hours per day;

Part 8 of Chapter 11 is entitled “Deficient Nursing Homes.”

T.C.A. § 68-11-801 provides:

Authority to impose penalties. — (a) The commissioner of health has the authority to impose civil monetary penalties upon deficient nursing homes, as defined by § 68-11-201, under the circumstances as provided in this part.
(b) In addition to the civil monetary penalties specifically enumerated in this part, the commissioner has the authority to impose civil monetary penalties in such amount, scope, manner and circumstances as required by the Federal Nursing Home Reform Act of 1987.
(c) The commissioner has the authority to promulgate rules and regulations to impose the civil monetary penalties described in subsection (b). [Acts 1987, ch. 312, § 1; 1989, ch. 512, §§ 1, 6.]

T.C.A. § 68-11-803 provides in pertinent part:

Type B civil monetary penalties — Violation of enumerated patients’ rights and nursing home standards. — (a) Type B violations directly impact the care of the patients in the nursing home and are of such clarity and specificity as to provide ample notice to all nursing homes and to the public of the acts prohibited and the conduct required.
(b) A type B civil monetary penalty may be imposed whenever any of the following standards are violated and such violation need neither be repeated, nor found in multiple cases, before the penalty is assessed: (1) Residents must not be willfully abused or neglected, as these terms are defined by § 71-6-102; ...

T.C.A. § 71-6-102 reads in pertinent part as follows:

Definitions. — As used in this part unless the context otherwise requires:
(1) “Abuse or neglect” means the infliction of physical pain, injury or mental anguish, or the deprivation of services of a caretaker which are necessary to maintain the health and welfare of an adult, or a situation in which an adult, living alone, is unable to provide or obtain for himself the services which are necessary to maintain his health or welfare. Nothing in this part shall be construed to mean a person is abused or neglected or in need of protective services for the sole reason he relies on or is being furnished treatment by spiritual means through prayer alone in accordance with a recognized religious method of healing in lieu of medical treatment; further, nothing in this part shall be construed to require or authorize the provision of medical care to any terminally ill person if such person has executed an unrevoked living will in accordance with [673]*673the provisions of the Tennessee Right to Natural Death Law, compiled in title 32, chapter 11, and if the provisions of such medical care would conflict with the terms of such living will.
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Section 1200-8-6-.4(2)(f)(I)(VI) of the Regulations of the Department reads as follows:

Body position of bed patients and chair bound patients shall be changed at least every two hours (days and nights) while maintaining good body alignment. Bony prominences and weight bearing parts shall be bathed, dried and thoroughly massaged to prevent discomfort and the development of pressure areas unless contraindicated by physician’s orders.

-The Facts-

The center is a duly licensed intermediate and skilled care nursing home. The subject of this appeal is its care of an anonymous patient in respect to a severe condition of her left heel.

The patient was a seriously ill seventy-nine year old female with a myriad of medical problems, including end stage renal disease, severe diabetes, pulmonary edema, congestive heart disease, anemia, glaucoma, peripheral vascular disease and blindness. Since August, 1990, she had been attended by Dr. Kenneth George who saw her at the center at least once a week. She was also seen periodically by her internist, Dr. Richard Garman, who first saw her at the St. Thomas Hospital Emergency Room in 1989 or 1990 for congestive heart failure, diabetes and renal failure.

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Bluebook (online)
881 S.W.2d 671, 1994 Tenn. App. LEXIS 199, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/claiborne-hughes-convalescent-center-inc-v-state-department-of-health-tennctapp-1994.