Failure to Provide Timely Dental Care Resulting in Prolonged Pain
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to follow its dental policy and address negative dental findings immediately for one resident, resulting in a delay of recommended dental procedures and ongoing dental pain. The resident, who has multiple medical diagnoses including paraplegia, diabetes, and an open foot wound, was identified by the facility dentist as needing multiple tooth extractions. Despite repeated dental consults and recommendations for extractions, the necessary procedures were not arranged in a timely manner. Documentation shows that the resident missed appointments due to issues with discontinuing blood thinners, and transportation arrangements were not made as required. The resident continued to experience dental pain for over a year, as confirmed by interviews with the resident, staff, and the ombudsman. Staff interviews revealed a lack of follow-through in scheduling dental appointments, with the appointment scheduler only becoming aware of the need for a dental visit after being notified by the ombudsman. The scheduler also encountered difficulties finding a dental provider who accepted the resident's insurance and had not yet resolved the issue. The DON and administrator could not recall being made aware of the resident's ongoing dental pain prior to the most recent notification. The facility's policy requires immediate action on negative dental findings, but this was not followed, resulting in prolonged discomfort for the resident.