Update from DRI's ALF/Nursing Home Seminar

By: Jim Bleeke
BleekeDillonCrandall

Several of Bleeke Dillon Crandall's attorneys who defend nursing home litigation (Jim Bleeke, Jeb Crandall, Richard Moore and Stephanie Holtzlander) are in Boston attending the national conference on Nursing Home Litigation presented by the Defense Research Institute (DRI). Our own Richard Moore is the Chairman of this seminar.

We have attended Panel Counsel Meetings held by several of our long-term care clients to discuss their priorities and goals, and to share experiences of their lawyers across the country. Among the themes that we are hearing from our clients are the following:

1. Regulatory oversight is becoming even more rigorous, while reimbursement for patient services is decreasing, which creates a more challenging environment for doing what is already a very difficult job.

2. The best defense to a lawsuit is to avoid it in the first place, by focusing on excellent patient care and promptly addressing patient mishaps and/or dissatisfaction.

3. When lawsuits do occur, the key is to evaluate the risks of each case accurately and reliably as early as possible, so that surprises do not occur as the case advances toward resolution. And early resolution generally is best for everyone involved.