F0684 F684: Provide appropriate treatment and care according to orders, resident’s preferences and goals.
G

Failure to Conduct Neurological Assessments After Resident Fall

Heritage Care And Rehabilitation CenterMason City, Iowa Survey Completed on 06-20-2024

Summary

The facility failed to provide follow-up assessments and interventions for a resident who experienced an unwitnessed fall. The resident, who had a history of schizophrenia, chronic ischemic heart disease, non-Alzheimer's dementia, and renal insufficiency, was found on the floor with abrasions on his head and wrist. Despite the resident's report of hitting his head, the covering LPN, Staff A, documented that she completed eight neurological assessments, but video footage and staff interviews revealed that only the initial assessment was conducted. Staff members, including CNAs and a CMA, repeatedly expressed concerns about the resident's condition, noting changes such as leaning, tremors, and altered mental status. Despite these observations and requests for further assessment, Staff A did not perform the necessary neurological checks or reassess the resident. The resident was eventually transferred to the hospital after another LPN, Staff B, observed a change in the resident's condition and contacted the on-call provider. The facility's video footage confirmed that Staff A did not perform the documented neurological checks, and the facility's policy required immediate notification of the resident's physician and responsible party in the event of an accident or change in medical condition. The failure to conduct proper assessments and follow facility policy resulted in a deficiency in the care provided to the resident.

Penalty

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.

Resources

Below are regulatory guidelines relevant to this citation:

See other F0684 citations
Failure to Follow Care Plan for Protective Sleeve
D
F0684 F684: Provide appropriate treatment and care according to orders, resident’s preferences and goals.
Short Summary

Failure to Follow Care Plan for Protective Sleeve: A resident with severe cognitive impairment, Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, and PVD had a care plan directing staff to keep protective sleeves on the left elbow at all times due to skin tear risk. During repeated dining room observations, the resident was not wearing the sleeve. A NA said she did not apply it because the resident would remove it and chew on it, and an RN said he was unaware the sleeve was not being worn.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
Failure to Follow Wound Care Orders and Dressing Documentation
D
F0684 F684: Provide appropriate treatment and care according to orders, resident’s preferences and goals.
Short Summary

Failure to follow wound care orders and dressing documentation requirements was cited for multiple residents. A resident had a skin tear dressed without a physician order, another resident had a knee dressing with no date or initials, and a third resident had a dated dressing and pain patch that did not reflect the ordered treatment schedule. The DON and wound care RN acknowledged that dressings and treatments should be completed as ordered and that dressings are expected to be dated and initialed.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
Failure to Follow Ordered Treatments and Weight Monitoring
E
F0684 F684: Provide appropriate treatment and care according to orders, resident’s preferences and goals.
Short Summary

Failure to Follow Ordered Treatments and Weight Monitoring: The facility did not ensure ordered care was carried out for several residents. One resident with Parkinson’s disease and anxiety sustained a skin tear to the hand during an agitated episode, but there was no physician order for the wound treatment that was provided. Two residents had ordered weekly weights that were not obtained as scheduled, and the records did not explain why. Another resident with HTN, depression, and DM had body blisters, but the wound company’s recommendation for skin prep was not entered as an order, and there was no documented evidence that the practitioner was contacted about the missed recommendation.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
Failure to Follow Insulin Orders
E
F0684 F684: Provide appropriate treatment and care according to orders, resident’s preferences and goals.
Short Summary

Failure to Follow Insulin Orders: Two residents with diabetes received insulin contrary to physician orders. One resident was given insulin aspart at times when blood glucose was below the ordered hold parameter, and a second resident received scheduled insulin without documented meal intake despite orders to hold if blood sugar was low or if less than 50% of the meal was eaten. The DON confirmed the medication administration did not follow the orders.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
Failure to Follow Bowel Management Protocol
E
F0684 F684: Provide appropriate treatment and care according to orders, resident’s preferences and goals.
Short Summary

Failure to follow bowel management protocol: three residents had extended periods without a BM and no documented nursing interventions despite the facility’s protocol requiring specific measures after 2, 3, 4, and 5 days without a BM. The residents had significant diagnoses including schizophrenia, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, TBI, and Alzheimer’s disease, and the RNC confirmed the missing BM-related interventions in the chart.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
Wheelchair Footrest Not Adjusted for Resident With Limited LE ROM
D
F0684 F684: Provide appropriate treatment and care according to orders, resident’s preferences and goals.
Short Summary

A resident with dementia, severe cognitive impairment, limited ROM in both LEs, and dependence on staff for wheelchair locomotion was observed sitting in her wheelchair with her feet hovering above the footrests. CNAs confirmed her feet did not reach the footrests, and an administrative nurse stated the footrest needed to be adjusted to better fit and support her feet.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
Citation search

Search every citation & Plan of Correction

Go to search
Citation watch

Track new serious citations across Iowa

Get a heads-up on the newest immediate-jeopardy (J–L) citations in Iowa — where surveyors are focused right now.

Free · about one email a month

Trusted data from CMS and state health departments

Every citation, penalty and Plan of Correction is sourced from public CMS records (latest release October 8, 2026) and official state health department websites — never guesswork.

In your survey window? See what surveyors are citing.

The Survey-Prep Report maps your facility's risk from 12 months of CMS and state citation data — what's being cited around you and what to check first. $129 one-time.

Get the Survey-Prep Report
An unhandled error has occurred. Reload 🗙

Connection lost — reconnecting… We couldn't reconnect automatically. Please reload the page to continue.