Nursing facility lawsuit bill lands in Senate

Extendicare's exit could minimize impact locally

By Nick Tabor, New Era Senior Staff Writer 

State Republicans are trying to reduce the number of “frivolous” lawsuits against nursing homes. They want panels to review all complaints before they reach the court system.

Bills like this have failed in years past. It’s one of the reasons Extendicare Health Services Inc., a company that owns two local nursing homes, shed management responsibilities last year for all 21 of its facilities in Kentucky.

Without Extendicare around, the volume of local nursing-home lawsuits appears to be shrinking.

And in recent years, nearly all the local cases that have been closed were dismissed via settlements, not by judges declaring them unfounded. This may suggest the bill would affect Christian County minimally.

Nursing home chain bails on Ky.

Company owns 2 area facilities, blames 'litigation environment'

By Nick Tabor, New Era Senior Staff Writer

Following a history of lawsuits, and in light of a litigation reform bill failing in the General Assembly this year, a major nursing home chain plans to unload its facilities in Kentucky to a Texas company.

The corporation, Extendicare Health Services, Inc., owns Pembroke Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Shady Lawn Nursing Home in Cadiz, and 19 other homes in Kentucky. In a 2009 study that ranked 10 Kentucky facilities among the country’s worst nursing homes, three of those belong to Extendicare.

Extendicare also owns facilities in 11 other states as far apart as Oregon and Pennsylvania.

Extendicare announced last week it will lease all of its Kentucky facilities to a long-term care operator in Texas for a 10-year period. The operator can extend its lease or buy the facilities if it wishes.