F0690 F690: Provide appropriate care for residents who are continent or incontinent of bowel/bladder, appropriate catheter care, and appropriate care to prevent urinary tract infections.
D

Failure to Implement Continence Care Plan

Fairhaven Healthcare CenterLowell, Massachusetts Survey Completed on 10-23-2024

Summary

The facility failed to provide appropriate services to maintain continence for a resident, identified as Resident #58, who was admitted in June 2024. The resident, who has diagnoses including adult failure to thrive and type 2 diabetes mellitus, was initially assessed as continent of bladder upon admission. However, subsequent assessments indicated a decline in urinary continence, with the resident becoming frequently incontinent. Despite this change, the facility did not conduct further evaluations or develop a person-centered care plan with individualized interventions for the resident's bladder incontinence. Observations and interviews revealed that Resident #58 was often found incontinent and without a proper toileting program in place. The resident expressed that they wore briefs and did not always recognize the urge to urinate. Staff members, including CNAs and nurses, confirmed the resident's incontinence and lack of a toileting plan. The facility's policy required a 3-day observation tool and a Bladder and Bowel Evaluation to be completed upon admission, annually, quarterly, and when significant changes occur, but these were not implemented for Resident #58. Interviews with facility staff, including the Director of Nursing, indicated that the necessary assessments and care plans were not completed as required. The DON acknowledged that a new assessment should have been triggered after admission and that a quarterly evaluation and a 3-day bladder voiding trial should have been conducted to determine the type of incontinence and the potential benefit of a toileting plan. The lack of these evaluations and an individualized care plan for urinary incontinence constituted a deficiency in the facility's care for Resident #58.

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 F0690 citations
Improper Foley Catheter Care During Incontinent Care
D
F0690 F690: Provide appropriate care for residents who are continent or incontinent of bowel/bladder, appropriate catheter care, and appropriate care to prevent urinary tract infections.
Short Summary

Improper Foley Catheter Care During Incontinent Care: A resident with dementia and neurogenic bladder had an indwelling catheter, but a CNA did not secure the catheter tubing while providing incontinent/catheter care. The DON and ADM stated the tubing should be secured during care, and the CNA acknowledged she was not aware she had failed to do so despite prior training.

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.
Indwelling Catheter Care Not Provided as Needed
D
F0690 F690: Provide appropriate care for residents who are continent or incontinent of bowel/bladder, appropriate catheter care, and appropriate care to prevent urinary tract infections.
Short Summary

Indwelling catheter care was not provided as needed for a resident with Foley tubing that had cream-colored sediment along the length of the tubing on repeated observations. The resident had orders for Foley care every shift and irrigation for blockage, increased sediment, or decreased output, but staff and hospice interviews showed the tubing remained unchanged and there was no formal order for routine tubing changes, only PRN changes based on clinical findings.

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 Secure Foley Catheter Tubing
D
F0690 F690: Provide appropriate care for residents who are continent or incontinent of bowel/bladder, appropriate catheter care, and appropriate care to prevent urinary tract infections.
Short Summary

A resident with an indwelling Foley catheter, dementia, and recent admission diagnoses including cancer and a pelvic fracture was observed without the ordered leg strap/securement device in place. The care plan did not reflect the need for securement, and staff interviews confirmed the tubing should have been secured and checked each shift; the ADM also stated there was no catheter care policy.

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 Document and Manage External Catheter Urinary Wicking System
D
F0690 F690: Provide appropriate care for residents who are continent or incontinent of bowel/bladder, appropriate catheter care, and appropriate care to prevent urinary tract infections.
Short Summary

Failure to Document and Manage External Catheter Urinary Wicking System: A resident who used an external male catheter with a urine collection system had no physician order, no care plan details for setup or reapplication, and no documentation for changes. The resident said he needed help with the system and kept supplies in his room, while the DON stated the hospice nurse applied it weekly and acknowledged there was no policy or documentation for changes. Containers of urine were observed in the room, including one full of dark yellow urine, and the bag was later not found during brief 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.
Delayed Incontinence Care
D
F0690 F690: Provide appropriate care for residents who are continent or incontinent of bowel/bladder, appropriate catheter care, and appropriate care to prevent urinary tract infections.
Short Summary

Delayed Incontinence Care: A resident with bowel and bladder incontinence, impaired mobility, and dependence on staff for ADLs was observed wet in bed and asking to be changed and cleaned up. An LPN checked the brief, confirmed it was wet, but left the room without providing care and was later observed at a med cart during another staff member’s med pass. The resident stated she had last been changed the night before and that it had been a long time.

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.
Delayed Toileting and Incontinence Care
D
F0690 F690: Provide appropriate care for residents who are continent or incontinent of bowel/bladder, appropriate catheter care, and appropriate care to prevent urinary tract infections.
Short Summary

Delayed Toileting and Incontinence Care: A resident with intact cognition, urinary and bowel incontinence, and max assist needs was left in a wet brief and later found sitting on a urine-soaked wheelchair cushion. Staff reported the resident had called for bathroom help during lunch, but assistance was delayed until after dining room duties, and the DON stated residents should be changed every 2 hours and assisted before meals when they request toileting.

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 Massachusetts

Get a heads-up on the newest immediate-jeopardy (J–L) citations in Massachusetts — 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.