Albuquerque Heights Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center

Nursing home abuse is a rampant problem in facilities across the nation, and nursing homes in Albuquerque are no exception.

CMS’s Compare Care has reported 50 deficiencies at Albuquerque Heights Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center since June 2019, according to ProPublica.

The reports stated that none of these deficiencies posed an immediate risk to residents, but many demonstrated a risk of “more than minimal harm.” Some issues were isolated, but the majority were widespread.

The data reported to CMS come from complaint investigations, interviews and observations during annual inspections, and infection control surveys. According to the Nursing Home Compare Technical Users’ Guide, “Inspections are unannounced and are conducted by a team of health care professionals who spend several days in the nursing home to assess whether the nursing home is in compliance with federal requirements.”

In 2021, surveyors reported eight deficiencies, most of which were related to a failure to ensure that “proper infection prevention measures were maintained” to keep residents safe. Records indicate that Albuquerque Heights Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center was required to pay a $6,500 fine for this conduct.

Surveyors reported 22 total deficiencies in 2022, including many violations of nursing home resident rights.

Examples include:

• A resident who was a known fall risk was unable to reach the call light to contact facility staff, which prevented them from requesting assistance. According to the report, the resident “nearly collapsed” when they attempted to move to the bathroom without caregiver assistance.
• A resident was left alone on a bedpan for 42 minutes, resulting in embarrassment, confusion, and pain.
• A resident had a bathroom accident in the middle of the night. An aide entered to give the resident a blanket and a sheet, and left. The resident waited for the aide to return to clean up the mess, but they did not come back until the next morning, forcing the resident to sleep on a cold, wet, urine-soaked floor.
• The nursing facility made it difficult for residents and visitors to review the facility’s survey results and communicate with government advocate agencies.
• A resident did not receive necessary dental care because the facility failed to perform regular health and dental evaluations.
• A resident was hospitalized seven times during 2021. It was noted that her condition worsened with each visit. Records indicate that the facility failed to assess a sufficient change assessment, which ultimately meant that caretakers were not aware that she needed extensive assistance with bathing, eating, transferring, and using the bathroom, rather than limited assistance (as she had in the past).

Many of the facility’s deficiencies involved failing to provide initial and follow-up assessments of a resident’s status and care needs. This created a situation where residents were not likely to receive the type and quality of care and assistance they required.

In some situations, staff conducted evaluations, but no actionable steps or timetables were presented in the reports.

These are serious deficiencies, as they indicate that residents at Albuquerque Heights Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center may not have their caretaking needs met, especially if a health condition deteriorates or changes.