California sues major US nursing home operator over ratings

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California's attorney general and local officials sued the nation's largest senior living home operator Monday, alleging the company misled consumers on quality ratings and broke laws intended to protect patients when they are discharged from a facility.

The suit centers on Brookdale Senior Living Inc.'s 10 California-based skilled nursing facilities.

The company endangered the health of “tens of thousands” of patients and forced families to hurriedly find them new homes by failing to give at least 30 days notice of transfers or discharges as required for skilled nursing facilities, the suit alleges. It says the company also failed to adequately prepare patients to be discharged or transferred.

One was an 80-year-old man with Alzheimer's disease, congestive heart failure and five other conditions who was released without proper notice or a discharge plan, the lawsuit says. Within a week, he was admitted to a hospital.

A 78-year-old man who had heart and kidney disease, trouble walking, and was recovering from pneumonia also was released without proper notice or a plan, with a catheter used to administer drugs still in his body, the lawsuit says. His family wasn't told how to administer his medications or supplemental oxygen, it alleges.

“Brookdale does this so it can fill its beds with residents who will bring in more money,” the suit alleges. It says the company will discharge patients when their Medicare coverage ends, “regardless of the care and treatment needs," rather than keep them and receive lower levels of reimbursement.

Company officials said they hadn’t seen the lawsuit but were working on a response.

The Tennessee-based company operates in 43 states. It says it has 726 independent living, assisted living, memory...