Failure to Obtain Hospice Orders and Coordinate Hospice Services
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to obtain a physician order for hospice services and did not ensure proper coordination of hospice care with facility services for two residents. For one resident with diagnoses including heart failure, depression, and dementia, the clinical record did not contain a physician order for hospice services, lacked a diagnosis related to the need for hospice, and the care plan did not include essential information such as the hospice agency's contact details, access to the 24-hour on-call system, or the name of the hospice agency. For another resident with heart failure, coronary artery disease, and anxiety, although there was documentation of hospice admission in the physician orders, the comprehensive care plan similarly failed to include the hospice agency's contact information and instructions for accessing the hospice's 24-hour on-call system. The Director of Nursing confirmed these deficiencies, indicating a lack of coordination and documentation necessary to meet the end-of-life care needs of these residents.