Government, Golden Living Agree to Settlement

PLANO, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Golden Living, a leader in post-acute healthcare services, today announced that it has signed an agreement with the Office of Inspector General (OIG) of the Department of Health and Human Services, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ), and the State of Georgia, finalizing a settlement relating to wound care provided to a small number of patients at two of the company's skilled nursing facilities in the Atlanta area during the time period from 2006 to 2011.

The settlement explicitly states that the agreement is not an admission of liability by Golden Living, which expressly denies and disputes the allegations. In particular, Golden Living steadfastly denies that patients were harmed as claimed in various of these untested allegations, or that the services it furnished were without value to its patients.

“We are committed to quality patient care, and we are proud of the care we provide at our Atlanta LivingCenters,” said Dr. Neil Kurtz, President and CEO of Golden Living. “The appropriateness of our patient treatments and services has been validated in multiple surveys by state and federal agencies, and is reflected in the CMS Five-Star Quality Ratings received by our Atlanta-area LivingCenters.”

Specifically, Golden LivingCenter - Dunwoody received a Four-Star Overall rating (out of a possible Five Stars) and a Five-Star Quality rating (out of a possible Five Stars) in the most recent rankings. Golden LivingCenter - Glenwood received a Three-Star Overall rating and a Four-Star Quality rating.

“Golden Living agreed to the settlement not to dignify these baseless charges, but because we would rather spend the money on our patient care and staff than on the legal fees necessary each month simply to respond to the government's actions in the investigation,” said Kurtz.

Golden Living has agreed to pay $423,544 to the federal government and $189,756 to the State of Georgia, plus interest and legal fees.

Under the terms of the settlement, Golden Living has entered into a Corporate Integrity Agreement (CIA) that will apply to six Golden LivingCenters in the Atlanta area. The obligations under the CIA will expand upon Golden Living's existing robust compliance and reporting program. It will focus on conducting additional training for employees who provide clinical and administrative supportive services to those centers, and on the use of technology to enhance both care and the documentation supporting that care.

Golden Living's Chief Compliance Officer, in coordination with facility staff and leadership as well as the company's new Clinical Center of Excellence, will directly supervise the application of this agreement in ways that will benefit Golden Living residents, their families, and caregivers.

“We are pleased to conclude the settlement of this matter and put the distractions of this investigation behind us, so that all of us at Golden Living can focus on our mission and continue to share our passion for improving quality of life through innovative healthcare, one person, one family, and one community at a time,” said Dr. Kurtz.