Nursing home loses Medicare funding due to health, safety, compliance

STATESVILLE, N.C. — Time is running out for residents using Medicare to pay for their stay at a nursing home in Iredell County.

Accordius Health at Statesville recently had its funding pulled for health and safety violations, and former resident Joshua Darden tells Channel 9′s Almiya White he did not receive the care he deserved during his stay there. He said because of that, he’s not surprised the facility got its Medicare funds pulled.

Accordius Health Statesville has beds for up to 145 patients, but several complaint reports show residents are not getting the proper care.

“They are not supposed to be that dirty and uncared for,” Darden said. He told White he stayed at the facility a year ago.

“The amount of disconnect it takes to not be emotional about it, unbelievable,” he said.

According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Accordius Statesville failed to comply with health and safety requirements. Now, Medicare will no longer pay for patients to stay at the facility.

According to ProPublica, CMS fined Accordius $450,000 in February. And in March, a resident was found wandering outside.

“For someone to be in the position where they have to be cared for, and for someone to take it that lightly,” Darden said.

He and his wife Amanda say their experience with Accordius Health Statesville was horrible.

“The room he was transferred to when he first went in -- there was still feces on the toilet. The room hadn’t been cleaned,” Amanda Darden recalled. “That was just the beginning. He wasn’t getting his medication like he was supposed to.”

The CMS said in a news release that it requires facilities to meet certain health and safety standards to be certified as a Medicare provider. Involuntary termination of a provider agreement is generally a last resort.

As for Joshua Darden, he’s thankful his wife advocated for his care but worries about those who don’t have that support.

“If I have an advocate looking out for me and I’m having that hard of a time getting proper care, what’s going on with the people who’s not being spoken up for?” he asked.

Channel 9 asked Accordius if this could lead to the Statesville facility shutting down, since they’re no longer getting money from Medicare. We have not yet heard back.

The CMS also ended Medicare funding at the Citadel Salisbury in May. That facility was also run by Accordius Health. It closed not long after losing the funding.

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