Malissa White, a former nurse at Country Villa South Convalescent Center, Los Angeles California, was awarded $1.2 million by a jury for reporting fraudulent activity at a nursing home.
Nurse’s Background
Ms. White is a nurse who was employed at the Country Villa South Convalescent Center last March of 2018. Because of her good standing, she was quickly promoted months later. As part of her duties, she is responsible for evaluating the health requirements of Medicare recipients.
Making critical decisions and assessing residents’ unique health requirements is part of her intricate new job description. Once an assessment is complete, a specifically tailored care plan is implemented. All of these require payment from Health Care Plans like Medicare to cover costs in the nursing home facility.
Inflating Acuity For Profit?
Medicare supports nursing home stay and pays approximately $9,000-$15,000 per month depending on the level of care needed by the patient. The payment can be released if certain criteria are met.
White reports witnessing several fraudulent activities during her time at the nursing home. Some of them include forging the physician’s signature on Medicare forms. According to her, the nursing home staff would casually post their dishonest activities via group chat on WhatsApp. Additionally, she was instructed to falsify records to collect improper payment.
In addition, she was suggested to alter documentation and to exaggerate acuity of certain Medicare patients’ conditions—all in an attempt to illicit fraudulent payments from Medicare.
Ms. White alerted the incidents to HR, hoping that her cries for justice would be met with a fair investigation. Instead of taking action, however, she reports being treated poorly by superiors thereafter. Furthermore, she recounts consequently enduring racial discrimination over her husband’s faith.
Getting Treated Differently At The Nursing Home
Following Ms. White’s initial reports, it has been alleged that her supervisor’s behavior towards her changed significantly and was reprimanded for a variety of minor issues.
Ms. White reveals in the complaint that the illegal activity kept on going and was still required to manipulate documents. There are dire repercussions like suspension of license or worse-imprisonment. She shares that the moral pressure took a mental toll as she is aware that doctoring a patient’s record is immoral and illegal.
As a result, she says the constant strain of deceit eventually became too much for her to handle. This difficult situation started affecting her work, mental state and health ultimately leading her to miscarrying a pregnancy.
In spite of how devoted she had been to the job, she ultimately decided it was time for her to step away from her role out of necessity.
Read More On Pediatric Nurse Burnout At 27% Study Says
The Power of Whistleblowing
Ms. White’s case demonstrates how powerful whistleblowing can be in bringing attention to unethical behavior or illegal activities within organizations. By speaking out against what she perceived to be wrong, she was able to bring attention to the issue and take action.
The Consequences of Whistleblowing
Unfortunately, there are often consequences that come with whistleblowing. Many times, these have nothing to do with whether or not justice is served. Nor have to do with any legal ramifications for those responsible for wrongdoing. Oftentimes, whistleblowers face pressure, intimidation, or even job loss.
In 2019, Malissa White encountered an unfortunate consequence after drawing attention to the illicit actions at Country Villa South Convalescent Center – her resignation. Although she was an esteemed nurse, the dynamic changes in the workplace forced Ms. White to step away from her post.
Takeaway
Nurses are caregivers where part of the job is to advocate for other people. They’re often faced to make difficult decisions, even when it comes at a cost. Malissa White’s case exemplifies the bravery and dedication nurses have to the profession, despite any risks.
As a nurse, you may come across some questionable activities and may serve as a whistleblower. Whistleblowers play an important role in our society by helping to expose unethical behavior and illegal activities within organizations.
In Malissa’s case, her action resulted in a substantial financial reward for her; however, other whistleblowers may not be so lucky if their cases are not heard by a jury or do not result in any legal repercussions for those responsible for wrongdoing.