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

Transport Driver's Failure to Secure Resident Leads to Injury

Juniper Gardens Center For Nursing And RehabilitatGastonia, North Carolina Survey Completed on 08-27-2024

Summary

The facility's contracted transport driver failed to leave a resident in place for a clinical assessment of injury after a fall that occurred during transport. The resident, who was being transported back from a medical appointment in a contract transport van, was unsecured in her wheelchair. The driver made a sudden stop, causing the resident to fall forward out of her wheelchair onto the van floor. The driver then pulled the van off to the side of the road, transferred the resident back into her wheelchair, and continued back to the facility without notifying facility staff of the incident. Upon arrival at the facility, the resident informed staff of the fall, and a subsequent assessment by nursing staff revealed swelling and a skin tear to her left knee. A hospital CT scan later confirmed that the resident had suffered a distal left fracture to the femur due to the fall. The resident had a history of multiple sclerosis, muscle weakness, and contractures, which may have contributed to her vulnerability to injury. Interviews with the Director of Nursing and the physician revealed that the driver did not have the resident assessed by medical personnel prior to moving her after the fall. The physician indicated that moving a resident before an assessment could cause further injury or trauma. The facility's administrator confirmed that the driver had not secured the resident into her wheelchair and had not contacted medical personnel after the fall, as corroborated by video footage from the van.

Removal Plan

  • The facility initiated immediate investigation. Resident #12 medical director and responsible person made aware of incident. Order obtained for x-ray to the left ankle, left foot, left knee, left tibia and left fibula. Resident complained of pain, MD notified, and new orders obtained for Ibuprofen and Tylenol for acute pain post fall. Pain medication effective with a pain scale of 0 noted. Resident transported via ambulance and MD was notified of the transport. Resident returned back to the facility via stretcher accompanied by two emergency management technicians attendants. Resident complained of pain and discomfort to the left femur upon assessment pain meds were administered and effective. New orders from emergency department for Naproxen. Ortho follow up appointment with Orthopedic surgery as soon as possible. Facility made Resident an Ortho appointment. RP and MD made aware of the appointment. Resident was taken to Ortho via facility transport. Ortho plan state Resident is not a strong surgical candidate given knee contracture, would not recommend a long leg cast. Instead recommended a knee immobilizer and limit range of motion of including weight-bearing.
  • The Director of Nursing reviewed the accidents for the last three months and there were no other situations where licensed nurses did not assess the resident before the resident was moved.
  • The van drivers were re-educated by the Administrator on the proper procedures if a resident was to have a fall/injury or abnormal event in the facility van, that 911 is to be called prior to moving the resident. The education was already a component of the Transportation Driver orientation given by Administrator/Designee. The Administrator notified the contract transportation company via phone, and stated that until proof of driver training to include wheelchair procedures and calling 911, then contracted transportation will not be utilized. Any transportation from contract services was required to provide the driver's PASS training to the Administrator/Designee prior to transporting the facilities residents. These competencies are maintained by the Administrator/Designee. The contracted transportation supervisor who is PASS Certified completed education for contracted drivers and ongoing; prior to transporting facility residents. This education included both wheelchair patent procedures and to contact 911 immediately should any emergencies with patients occur during transport.
  • Director of Nursing/Designee audited incident/accident logs to ensure no resident had a fall during transportation and 911 wasn't called. Director of Nursing/Designee reviewed incident/accident logs 5 days a week for 4 weeks, 3 days a week for 4 weeks and weekly for 4 weeks. Administrator made the decision to take audits to the monthly Quality Assurance meeting for tracking, trending, and recommendations from the IDT team. Interviews with facility transporters revealed they had received education on proper procedures if a resident was to have a fall, injury, or accident in the facility van, that 911 was to be called immediately, do not move resident until assessed by a medical professional, and call facility to notify of incident. The education was included as a component of the transportation orientation. Contract transport company re-education verified staff were educated on passenger safety and sensitivity training, wheelchair procedures, and calling 911 immediately for any emergencies during transport. Review of the audit tool for the review of the incident/ accident logs was completed with no issues noted. Interviews were also conducted with alert and oriented residents who had been transported with no concerns, incidents, or accidents identified. Interview with the Administrator revealed she had educated facility transport drivers on proper procedures if a fall, injury, or accident occurred while transporting to include calling 911 immediately and not moving resident until assessed by medical personnel and notifying facility of the incident. The Administrator also verified the contract transport company had educated their drivers on the proper wheelchair procedures, calling 911 for any emergencies during transport, and safety and sensitivity training.

Penalty

Fine: $16,8015 days payment denial
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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 Physician Orders for Insulin, Weight Monitoring, and Lab Tests
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F0684 F684: Provide appropriate treatment and care according to orders, resident’s preferences and goals.
Short Summary

Surveyors found that staff did not follow multiple physician orders for three residents. A resident with diabetes received ordered insulin even when blood glucose readings were below the ordered hold parameter. Another resident with cerebral palsy, DM, and heart failure had repeated significant overnight weight gains without evidence that the physician was notified as ordered. A third resident with anemia and CKD had ordered CBC and CMP lab tests that were not documented as completed. The DON confirmed there was no documentation that these physician orders were carried out.

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 Implement Ordered Bowel Protocol for Constipation Management
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F0684 F684: Provide appropriate treatment and care according to orders, resident’s preferences and goals.
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A resident with multiple medical conditions, including respiratory disorders and diabetes, had physician orders for scheduled laxatives and a three-step PRN bowel protocol to be used when no bowel movement occurred within specified timeframes. Over a four-day period without a documented BM, the MAR showed that none of the ordered bowel protocol steps were administered, and there was no documentation of bowel care on one of those days. Facility records also lacked any notes of medication refusal or staff education regarding bowel care, and leadership confirmed the absence of documentation and implementation of the ordered bowel protocol.

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 Reevaluate Blood Glucose After Treatment for Hyperglycemia
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F0684 F684: Provide appropriate treatment and care according to orders, resident’s preferences and goals.
Short Summary

A resident with Alzheimer's disease and type II DM, who required extensive assistance with ADLs and was receiving scheduled Lantus and sliding-scale Humalog, experienced a severely elevated blood glucose level. The on-call provider was notified and ordered an additional dose of lispro insulin with a directive to recheck the blood glucose after administration. Nursing staff administered the extra insulin but did not document any follow-up blood glucose check, and the DON confirmed that this reevaluation was required by the facility's abnormal blood glucose policy and was not completed or documented.

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 Assess and Notify Providers for Abnormal Blood Glucose Levels
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F0684 F684: Provide appropriate treatment and care according to orders, resident’s preferences and goals.
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The facility failed to follow professional standards and physician orders for multiple diabetic residents by not consistently assessing and responding to abnormal capillary blood glucose (CBG) results. Several residents with diabetes and comorbid conditions such as CKD, CHF, CAD, COPD, dementia, ESRD, and heart failure had repeated CBG readings in both hypoglycemic and hyperglycemic ranges, including values below 70 mg/dl and above 400 mg/dl, without documented provider notification, rechecks, or clinical assessment. Some insulin and CBG monitoring orders lacked clear parameters for provider notification, and in at least one case a resident left on a leave of absence after a markedly elevated CBG without reevaluation. Although LPNs described appropriate protocols for managing low and high blood sugars during interviews, the documentation in the medical records did not show that these steps were consistently implemented or recorded, leading to an immediate jeopardy finding related to quality of care.

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 Assess and Respond to Post‑Fall Hip Pain and Mobility Decline
G
F0684 F684: Provide appropriate treatment and care according to orders, resident’s preferences and goals.
Short Summary

A resident with dementia, osteoporosis, and prior femur fracture experienced an unwitnessed fall and subsequently developed severe hip pain and decreased ability to ambulate and transfer. Nursing staff failed to document the fall on the day it occurred, did not complete comprehensive lower‑extremity or mobility assessments, and repeatedly charted pain scores of 0 despite the resident’s complaints and nurse aide reports of significant pain with movement and increased assistance needs. An NP evaluated the resident for hip pain but was not informed of the fall, did not assess the hips or legs, and treated the pain as baseline neuropathic discomfort. Over several days, PRN acetaminophen was given intermittently without consistent pain scoring, multiple shifts lacked progress notes or assessments, and aides assumed nurses were aware of the resident’s worsening pain and functional decline. Bilateral hip x‑rays were eventually ordered after internal communication about hip pain, and the report later showed an acute displaced femoral neck fracture, after which the resident was sent to the hospital and underwent a left hip hemiarthroplasty.

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 Assess, Notify, and Monitor Resident After Facial Trauma
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F0684 F684: Provide appropriate treatment and care according to orders, resident’s preferences and goals.
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A resident with Parkinson’s disease, osteoporosis, and osteoarthritis reported being punched in the face by another resident, resulting in facial bruising. The resident’s MDS showed intact cognition, and a change in condition evaluation documented the assault; however, the MD was not notified until more than a day later. The care plan directed licensed nurses to assess the resident’s body, and staff observed a purplish bruise on the right lower eyelid/orbital area, but this was not documented in the progress notes. Required every-shift monitoring for 72 hours after the change in condition was not documented on multiple day shifts. The DON confirmed lack of awareness of the bruise and acknowledged missing documentation and monitoring, despite facility policies requiring immediate provider notification and complete, accurate charting of changes in condition.

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.

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