Failure to Provide Dental Services to Medicaid Resident
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to provide necessary dental services for a resident who was admitted with no natural teeth and had a Medicaid payer source. According to facility policy, oral healthcare and dental services should be provided to each resident, with social services responsible for making dental appointments. However, the resident did not receive any dental services from admission through the time of the survey, and the social services director acknowledged that the resident was missed for dental care setup after transitioning from skilled care to long-term care. The resident, who had diagnoses including alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver, chronic hepatic failure, and liver cell carcinoma, reported having no natural teeth, experiencing pain and discomfort in the mouth, and difficulty eating certain foods. The resident expressed a need for dentures and stated that dental services were never offered. Staff interviews confirmed the resident was edentulous since admission and had not received dental care, despite being eligible through Medicaid.