Letter: Shame on hospitals for mismanaging nursing home funds

<p><strong>To the editor:</strong></p><p>The majority of COVID-19 deaths in Indiana occur in long-term care facilities. Most nursing homes in Indiana are owned by hospitals. Indiana nursing homes rate near the bottom nationally. The Indiana nursing home COVID-19 death rate is 45% higher than the national average. Indiana hospitals have lately received at least an extra $1 billion from the government.</p><p>Something feels strange about this scenario.</p><p>Thanks to the Daily Journal and reporter Leeann Doerflein for recently giving some insight about Johnson Memorial Hospital and Community Health Network regarding illegal kickbacks and referrals.</p><p>Hospitals in Indiana took advantage of a loophole allowing hospital-owned nursing homes to receive at least $1 billion extra in payment from Medicare.</p><p>Johnson Memorial apparently was paying Community Health $6 million a year for illegal referrals to JMH nursing homes. Johnson Memorial has received at least $200 million in enhanced funds but apparently is not required to report how or where that $200 million went.</p><p>Johnson Memorial’s recent president and CEO resigned or was terminated and now works for another nursing home chain. Johnson Memorial owns more than 30 nursing homes in Indiana, none in Johnson County.</p><p>Hospitals hire other companies to manage their nursing homes. So where does the buck stop — management companies or the owners? The hospitals gladly take the taxpayers’ money but don’t want to accept the high rate of COVID-19 deaths for nursing home residents.</p><p>Kickbacks, shams, exploitation, greed. Plenty of blame to go around. Why are state and federal Medicaid/Medicare officers allowing this to happen? Why do state legislators, county officials and the hospital boards appear to bury their heads?</p><p>At least $1 billion of our money passed to Indiana nursing homes and yet Indiana nursing homes rank near the bottom nationally in adequate staffing and quality of care and account for a majority of our COVID-19 deaths.</p><p>Shame, shame for milking the government of our tax dollars and allowing too many of our long-term care facility residents to die.</p><p><p><strong>Dick Huber</strong></p><p><p><strong>Greenwood</strong></p>