Failure to Provide Physician-Ordered Occupational Therapy Services
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to provide occupational therapy (OT) services as ordered by a physician for one resident. The physician's order specified that the resident should receive skilled OT five times per week for eight weeks, including specific therapy modalities. However, therapy records and interviews revealed that the resident received OT only three or four times per week on several occasions, with multiple therapy sessions missing and no documented reasons for the absences. The Director of Rehab and the Assistant Director of Rehab both confirmed that the resident did not consistently receive therapy according to the physician's order. The resident, who was admitted with a diagnosis of muscle weakness and was cognitively intact, reported that therapy sessions were skipped due to insufficient therapy staff. The resident expressed that therapy was beneficial for self-care and that he needed more therapy, but sessions were reduced due to staffing shortages. Facility policy required therapy services to be scheduled in accordance with the resident's treatment plan, but this was not followed in the resident's case.