Failure to Obtain STAT Laboratory Tests for Resident with Altered Mental Status
Penalty
No penalty information released
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
Summary
The facility failed to provide timely laboratory services for one resident who was reviewed following a fall. The resident, who had diagnoses including encephalopathy and heart failure and was noted to be cognitively impaired, exhibited confusion and restlessness. Nursing staff received new STAT orders from the on-call Nurse Practitioner/Physician for a complete blood count (CBC) and complete metabolic panel (CMP) due to altered mental status. Despite these orders, the laboratory tests were never drawn, and the clinical record did not contain results for the ordered tests. The facility's policy requires coordination and timely provision of laboratory services as ordered by a provider, but this was not followed in this instance.