Failure to Notify Resident Representatives for Care Plan Meetings
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that resident representatives of cognitively impaired residents were invited to participate in the care plan process for two out of three residents reviewed. Both residents had diagnoses including severe cognitive impairment, as indicated by their quarterly MDS assessments. For each care plan meeting reviewed, documentation showed that the residents were listed as attending, but there was no evidence that their representatives were invited or present. Progress notes for both residents lacked any record of notification or invitation to the responsible parties for care plan meetings over several months. Interviews with facility staff confirmed that the process for inviting resident representatives was not consistently followed or documented. The Social Services Director stated that invitations were documented in progress notes and that representatives were contacted by phone if not sent a written invitation, but this was not reflected in the records. The Director of Nursing acknowledged that there should be documentation of notification or attendance by the resident representative, especially for residents who are cognitively impaired. Additionally, a resident's representative reported not being invited to any care plan meetings. Facility policy requires that residents or their representatives be invited to care plan reviews, but this procedure was not followed in these cases.