KNOXVILLE — The Tennessee Department of Health has imposed $30,000 in penalties against a West Knoxville nursing home and barred it from taking more patients.
State authorities under the direction of Commissioner Dr. John Dreyzehner also directed that a special monitor review Westmoreland Health and Rehabilitation Center's operations.
Dreyzehner's order became effective Saturday, July 28, according to records.
10News contacted the nursing home for comment but has not heard back.
Westmoreland gets a one-star rating - "much below average" - on a scale that goes to five for overall care, according to ratings kept by the U.S. government on medicare.gov. It's certified for 222 beds, according to the federal government.
State action is based on what inspectors found while conducting a complaint survey July 9-14 about the care of a woman resident, according to the state. The state finished its review Friday, July 27.
The woman had been at Westmoreland, 5837 Lyons View Pike, since January 2015, according to records obtained by 10News. She's identified in records as resident No. 7.
The nursing home failed to give her proper care after she fell in November 2017 while her bed linens were being changed, according to the documents.
The incident happened Nov. 11, 2017, when a certified nursing assistant changed the linens without getting assistance, records state. The resident landed on her knees.
For the next six days she complained routinely of pain but no assessment was conducted by medical professionals, according to records.
Then, X-rays were conducted, revealing that she'd suffered knee fractures. But it wasn't until Nov. 20, 2017, that she was sent to see an orthopedic physician.
"Resident #7 was admitted to the hospital from the orthopedic physician's office for repair of the fractures and palliative care," records state.
The resident died Dec. 18, 2017.
During its inspection, the state spoke with a nurse who said she'd taken down a sign at Westmoreland's nursing station that read: "...Staff are never to call Dr. (medical director) or his NP until contact has been made with the on-call Nurse Mgr. If you have questions about this see (director of nursing) or (assistant director of nursing)."
The director of nursing's name was typed on the bottom. The nurse also provided the state with a copy of the physician board sheet that reflected the fact that resident No. 7 had complained of severe pain in her knees since she fell.
A state inspector interviewed the nursing home administrator July 12. The administrator said she hadn't seen the sign, according to records.
The $30,000 in penalties consists of six individual penalties of $5,000.
The state health commissioner can suspend admissions to a nursing home when authorities finds that conditions are detrimental to the health of residents.
The suspension order will remain until "conditions have been and continue to remain corrected," according to the Health Department. A copy of the order must be posted at the home's public entrance for all to see.
Brakebill Nursing Home formerly operated at the site.