St. Louis Nursing Home Owner Admits Criminal Fraud
C. Kent Harrington, the owner of the Cathedral Rock nursing homes in St. Louis, Missouri, pleaded guilty January 7, 2010 to criminal charges and admitted to knowingly providing substandard care to his nursing home residents. He has agreed to pay $1.6 million as part of a global settlement.
Two whistle-blowing employees filed a civil lawsuit in 2003 against Cathedral Rock Corp and its affiliated companies. A criminal health care fraud charge has also been filed against Harrington, but that charge has been deferred as part of the global settlement of criminal charges that generated from the initial lawsuit.
U.S. Attorney Dorothy McMurtry alleged that staff at the facilities falsified drug records and doctored charts, as well as inflating the hours billed Medicaid and Medicare for patient care. Services provided at the facilities were alleged to be grossly inadequate. McMurtry also alleged that Harrington and other upper level staff members knew of the insufficient care.
Cathedral Rock operated Spring Place Care Center and McLaran Care Center in St. Louis, Oak Forest Skilled Care in Ballwin, Cathedral Gardens Care Center in North St. Louis County, and Blanchette Place Care Center in St Charles. Spring Place closed in 2004, McLaran was no longer operated by Cathedral Rock as of 2005, and Cathedral Rock "ceased operating" the other three facilities as of December 31, 2009.
