Failure to Update PASARR After New Psychotropic Medications and Mental Health Diagnoses
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that a preadmission screening and resident review (PASARR) was updated when a resident was prescribed new psychotropic medications and received new mental health diagnoses. The resident's clinical record showed diagnoses of anxiety disorder and depressive disorder. The initial PASARR, completed prior to these changes, indicated no mental health diagnoses or medications. Subsequently, the resident was prescribed sertraline, an antidepressant, and clonazepam, an antianxiety medication, but no new PASARR Level I was completed after these changes. Interviews with the Executive Director and Social Service Director confirmed that a new PASARR Level I assessment was not conducted when the resident's mental health status and medication regimen changed. Facility policy requires PASARR assessments to be updated with significant changes in mental or physical status, and the policy on psychotropic management emphasizes the importance of assessment and person-centered intervention when such medications are prescribed. The failure to update the PASARR assessment was contrary to these policies.