Failure to Ensure Timely Physician Visits for Residents
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that residents were seen by a physician or physician extender at the required intervals, as outlined in their own policy and federal regulations. For one resident, there was only a single documented physician visit since admission, with all other visits conducted by nurse practitioners, and no evidence of alternating visits between the physician and physician extender. The facility was unable to provide documentation of additional physician visits or an explanation for the lack of alternating visits. Another resident was not seen by a physician within the required 60-day interval following the initial 90 days after admission. There was a gap of 128 days between physician visits, and after the most recent documented physician visit, there was another gap of 114 days without a physician assessment. The deficiency was identified through record review and confirmed in interviews with the Nursing Home Administrator and Director of Nursing, who were unable to provide additional documentation to support compliance with physician visit requirements.