Ask the legal expert … about screening for sex offenders
By
John Durso
Apr 01, 2014
How can we make sure we don’t have registered sex offenders working or volunteering for us? What if they lie to us about it?
Ask the legal expert … about hidden cameras
By
John Durso
Feb 01, 2014
Staff members have discovered a hidden camera that family members planted in their loved one’s room, suspecting that she was being abused or not take care of properly. What should be our next step?
Ask the legal expert … about using external auditors
By
John Durso
Jan 01, 2014
What do you advise about using external auditors to check what we’re doing — before wave after wave of government auditors come in?
Ask the legal expert … about antipsychotic medication liability
By
John Durso
Dec 01, 2013
I’m an administrator who’s read all of this stuff about overuse of antipsychotics on long-term care residents. I like and trust my director of nursing, medical director and clinical staff —...
Ask the legal expert … about loan defaults and negotiations
By
John Durso
Nov 01, 2013
Our facility is encountering financial difficulties. What do we need to keep in mind about the legal implications of defaults under our loan documents and negotiating with our lender?
Reducing readmissions: Physician services enabled by telemedicine in SNFs
By
John Durso
and John Whitman
Nov 04, 2013
When a resident of a skilled nursing facility has an acute event after hours or on weekends, the on-site nurse will generally call the patient’s primary care physician. Over the telephone, the nurse...
Ask the legal expert … about winning resolution proceedings
By
John Durso
Sep 01, 2013
I’m tired of losing informal dispute resolution proceedings. How can I win one?
Ask the legal expert … about pressure-ulcer product promises
By
John Durso
Aug 01, 2013
What happens if we contract with an alternate pressure-surface vendor that claims we’ll lower our pressure-ulcer rates by using its product, but our incidents actually increase? Can we sue?
Ask the legal expert … about email privacy
By
John Durso
Jul 01, 2013
Are emails between nursing staff and supervisors commenting on a resident’s status — such as cautions about keeping an eye on a resident who ultimately falls into a bad condition (pressure ulcer,...
Ask the legal expert … about gun violence in facilities
By
John Durso
Jun 01, 2013
A resident smuggles a gun into our facility and shoots a worker who, she says, has been treating her harshly or disrespectfully. What’s our recourse?