It Figures

90

The percentage of Georgia nursing homes that violated federal standards for health and safety last year. The state was on par with the national average of 92 percent of nursing homes that had violations, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. Georgia has 375 licensed nursing homes with 40,649 beds. Among the problems cited at nursing homes is quality of care and quality of life issues, including bed sores, urinary tract infections, and medication mistakes.

100,000

The size, in square feet, of a building the Florida Citizens Property Insurance Corp. planned for its headquarters until it bowed to criticism from key Florida lawmakers. The office complex once included a gymnasium, cafeteria and concierge service. Two Republican state senators, Don Gaetz of Niceville and J.D. Alexander of Winter Haven, objected to Citizens seeking the more expensive office space. Gaetz said any extra dollars that might be available to the government-backed insurer should instead lower surcharges and lower premiums for its policyholders.

6.7

The overall percentage by which the Kentucky Employers’ Mutual Insurance, a workers’ compensation insurance provider, lowered its rates. The reduction will impact both new and renewal policies effective Oct. 1. KEMI President Roger Fries said implementation of various technologies allowed the insurer to control medical costs and to be more diligent in promoting workplace safety.

30

The prison sentence – in months – a federal appeals court in Mississippi handed Ecru insurance agent Ken Nowlin’s for his role in a kickback scheme. Nowlin pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges for his role in the scheme involving Lafayette County’s health care coverage. Nowlin, a former supervisor, also paid $275,942 in restitution to Lafayette County.

$400,000

The amount a West Virginia jury ordered a bar owner and a man convicted of drunken driving to pay in damages in a fatal highway accident. The verdict stems from a 2002 lawsuit filed by Michael Landers of South Charleston against bar owner James Frank Jarrett and Robert A. Lanham. Landers’ mother was one of three people killed when a car driven by Lanham collided with another vehicle.