Failure to Timely Administer Prescribed Medication After Hospital Discharge
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure the timely acquisition and administration of a prescribed medication for a resident following discharge from a hospital. The resident, who had a diagnosis including cerebral infarction, was recommended by the hospital to begin gabapentin 100 mg three times daily for pain and discomfort. Despite this recommendation being included in the hospital discharge summary, the medication was not entered into the resident's clinical record or administered until six days after the resident's return to the facility. During this period, the resident's medication administration record showed no doses of gabapentin were given, and the physician's order for the medication was not entered until several days after the discharge. The resident's representative expressed concern about the lack of pain management, recalling the hospital's prescription for gabapentin. The Nursing Home Administrator acknowledged that the facility did not ensure the attending physician received and acted upon the hospital's discharge recommendation, resulting in a delay in the resident receiving the prescribed medication.