Illustrating why bad actors are in the nursing home business, KPCC reported on June 16, 2021 that nursing homes connected to ReNew Health and its CEO, Crystal Solorzano, received more than $428 million in Medicare and Medi-Cal payments between 2016 and 2019. The story – Despite Multiple Citations for Deficient Care, Government Sent More Than $400M to Troubled Nursing Home Chain – reports that government money flowed to the chain despite violations that put residents’ lives at risk and despite regulators attempts to block Solorzano from acquiring additional nursing homes. According to LAist, “the same government agencies that found those facilities were dirty, understaffed and provided deficient care are also their biggest source of revenue.” The story is part of the ongoing ‘Unprotected’ series examining California’s failures on nursing home oversight, which began with KPCC/LAist’s in-depth investigation of Solorzano’s nursing home chain: Immediate Jeopardy: Death and Neglect Inside A Troubled California Nursing Home Chain.
(posted June 25, 2021)