Failure to Provide Timely Dental Assessment
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to provide a dental assessment to a resident within ninety days of admission, as required by its own policy. The resident, who was admitted with multiple diagnoses including intervertebral disc degeneration, type 2 diabetes mellitus, muscle wasting and atrophy, obstructive and reflux uropathy, acute kidney failure, and hypertension, did not receive any dental services after admission. This was confirmed through interviews with both the resident and the Director of Nursing (DON), as well as a review of the resident's admission record. The DON acknowledged that the resident should have been seen by the facility's dental consultant within ninety days of admission, in accordance with the facility's policy dated April 2007. The policy specifically states that a consultant dentist is responsible for providing a dental assessment to each resident within this timeframe. The lack of a dental assessment for this resident was verified through record review and staff interviews.