HCR ManorCare is the nation’s second-largest nursing home operator by the number of patient beds. As of 2015, the company owned 255 skilled nursing facilities. By 2018, the number of homes had grown to 295. These nursing homes contained a total of 34,539 residential beds. HCR ManorCare’s nursing homes offer all major types of services, including dementia care, assisted living, and independent living. The company operates in 28 states and has close to 60,000 employees.
| Website | HCR-ManorCare.com |
| Number of Facilities | 268 |
| Headquarters | 333 N. Summit St. Toledo, OH 43604 |
| Year founded | 1959 |
| Type of Care Provided | Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Memoroy Care Assisted Living Independent Living Home Health Care Hospice Care Palliative Care |
HCR ManorCare was founded in 1959 and has gone through numerous corporate changes since it began operations. The chain has rapidly grown, and it is now one of the major nursing home operators in the country. The company accepted a buyout from the private equity giant The Carlyle Group in 2007, which valued the company at nearly $5 billion.
Once Carlyle took over the chain, the quality of care at HCR ManorCare’s facilities seemingly declined. Private equity companies have been known to cut back on services in the name of profits and their treatment of HCR ManorCare seems to be no exception.
After the buyout, the company engaged in some complex financial transactions that resulted in many assets being spun off as is common when business is owned by private equity firms. The company sold its real estate assets, but the transaction resulted in HCR ManorCare having to pay rent for its facilities.
In 2018, HCR ManorCare declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The exit plan from bankruptcy involves transferring ownership of the company to its landlord, Quality Care Properties. The company is based in Toledo, OH. Quality Care Properties is headquartered in Bethesda, MD.
HCR ManorCare is frequently the defendant in lawsuits initiated by families of nursing home residents that have alleged various types of negligence resulting in personal injury and death. The company has been hit with a number of jury verdicts and has had to enter into settlements of other neglect and wrongful death lawsuits. Here are some cases against HCR ManorCare that have resulted in financial compensation for the plaintiffs.
Nursing home negligence lawsuits can take on a variety of different forms. The lawsuit can be brought by the home residents themselves, however, if they have passed away, the estate can file a wrongful death lawsuit against the nursing facility. There are many different things that are legally actionable. Specifically, if a nursing home either fails to provide the proper care or it makes a mistake that harms the resident, then the nursing home can be found legally responsible.
Below are some of the common areas where nursing homes have faced legal liability as well as some of the verdicts against HCR ManorCare and the settlements into which it entered. Some of the common areas of suit include:
Jury Verdict ($6 million) in Arizona – An 83-year old woman was admitted to a nursing care facility after breaking her tailbone. At the facility, she was prescribed morphine even though she had a long history of abuse of prescription medication. The facility failed to properly monitor her use of morphine and give the appropriate instructions for taking this highly dangerous medication. The nursing home also failed to appropriately monitor the patient, who was able to ingest alcohol while taking morphine due to the lack of supervision. The patient ultimately died of morphine intoxication. Three family members were awarded $2 million each in non-economic damages by the jury.
Jury Verdict ($195,000) in California – A man, who was admitted to the HCR ManorCare rehabilitation center with a broken leg, was left lying in soiled diapers and did not receive the proper medical care. The plaintiff was ignored when he pressed the call light and did not receive the proper care with activities of daily life. The plaintiff developed stage IV pressure sores as a result of the nursing home’s lack of care. After the jury awarded him compensation, he appealed the jury’s failure to award him punitive damages and won that issue on appeal.
Settlement ($90,000) in Missouri – The family of a woman who died at St. Peter’s Manor after suffering a fall settled with HCR ManorCare.
Settlement ($150,000) in Pennsylvania – A 98-year-old woman fell at HCR ManorCare of Yardley and fractured her femur. The estate of the woman claimed that the facility was negligent in not taking the proper measures to prevent a fall and did not properly supervise the patient, which could have prevented the fall.
Settlement ($350,000) in Pennsylvania – A 79-year-old woman suffered over 30 documented falls while residing at HCR ManorCare of Yardley. In addition, there were also allegations of abuse against the facility, which included both abuses by fellow residents and rough handling by the staff. The resident also suffered from multiple infections, and her estate alleged that the living conditions in the facility were unsanitary.
Jury Award ($1,097,575.00) in Indiana – A 91-year-old woman suffered a fractured hip while at the HCR ManorCare Health Services-Kokomo facility, which ultimately led to her death. The lawsuit alleged that the facility was negligent in caring for the plaintiff, which was the cause of her fall. The Manor Care home settlement was for $250,000, which was for medical malpractice that was connected with the resident’s death.
Settlement ($800,000) in Pennsylvania – The estate of an 89-year-old woman alleged that the nursing home did nothing to provide her with medical care when she contracted a high fever and pneumonia. The lawsuit stated that the facility’s staff allowed her to go without care for too long when her medical condition was worsening and she ultimately died from her illness (sepsis).
Jury Award ($50,000) in Pennsylvania – The estate of a woman sued HCR ManorCare after the woman died from uncontrolled bleeding at the site of her broken hip. The decedent was prescribed a certain anticoagulant while at the nursing home because the one that was prescribed has a toxic reaction with Cumadin, which the patient was taking at the time. The staff did not assess the patient’s risk of hemorrhaging, which ultimately was the cause of the patient’s death.
Settlement ($50,000) in Michigan – The plaintiff had various psychiatric disorders and began to refuse to take her psychiatric medications. The resident was a high risk for falls. While being given a shower after she had soiled herself, she fell in the shower and broke her femur. The lawsuit alleged that, in light of the plaintiff’s risk for falls and other psychiatric conditions, the wrong procedures were used in assisting her to shower, causing her to fall. Rather than risk uncertainty of trial, the home settled the case.
Settlement ($400,000) in Pennsylvania – A male, who was suffering from diabetes, required a second leg amputation after his leg became gangrenous. The plaintiff, who died during the course of the litigation, alleged that staff was inadequately trained to treat him and did not properly care for his stump where the previous amputation was done.
Verdict ($1.3 million) in Maryland – The plaintiff had hip surgery and developed a pressure ulcer (stage iv pressure sores) in the hospital. After the defendant was transferred to a HCR ManorCare center, her conditions worsened and developed into a full-fledged infection due to an alleged lack of care. This resulted in the removal of the hip prosthesis that had been previously implanted in the plaintiff..
Verdict ($250,000) in Ohio – A resident was admitted to the facility with a decubitus ulcer (pressure ulcer) on his right heel. The plaintiff alleged that the nursing home failed to monitor and care for this ulcer, which ultimately grew worse. Eventually, the plaintiff suffered sepsis from the wound, which led to his death. $175,000 of the verdict against the nursing home was in the form on punitive damages, which are available to plaintiffs in the event of egregious conduct on the part of the nursing home.
Settlement ($312,500) in Pennsylvania – The 56-year old plaintiff had two amputations. The stumps became infected while he was residing at the nursing home, which led to sepsis and then eventual death. His estate retained home abuse lawyers and filed a wrongful death lawsuit claiming that the staff failed to consult a doctor regarding the changes in his condition and did not uphold the standard of care.
If your loved one has been a resident at a HCR ManorCare nursing home and has suffered injury or death due which you believe is the fault of the nursing home, you are not alone. As you can see from the above descriptions, HCR ManorCare is a frequent defendant in nursing home cases.
If you fall into this category, you should immediately contact the attorneys at the Nursing Home Law Center. We have a deep reservoir of experience in dealing with troubled nursing homes such as HCR ManorCare. We file claims and assist you throughout the entire process, including negotiating a settlement with the nursing home and taking the case to trial if necessary.
Our services are rendered on a contingency basis. This means that if we do not help you and your family recover, you owe us nothing. We are paid from the proceeds of your settlement or jury award in the event that you receive one. Call us today at (800) 726-9565 to see how we can help you and your family.
For additional information on specific Manor Care facilities, look at the pages below.