Failure to Provide Timely Routine Dental Services
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to provide timely routine dental services for three residents who had elected to receive dental care through the facility's third-party provider. For one resident with diagnoses including iron deficiency anemia, anxiety, and chronic pain, there was no documentation of dental authorization, consent, or any dental services provided since admission, despite the resident's indication that she had not been seen by a dentist since entering the facility. The Social Services Director (SSD) confirmed that there was no effective system in place for managing dental consents and that the resident had not received dental services as required. Another resident, diagnosed with adult failure to thrive and depression, also reported not being seen by a dentist since admission, with the clinical record lacking any documentation of dental authorization, consent, or services provided. A third resident, with dementia and dysphagia, experienced a significant delay in dental care; the resident's POA had communicated concerns about dental issues upon admission and again several months later, but the resident was not seen by a dentist until five months after admission, at which point extensive dental extractions were needed. In all cases, the facility's records did not show timely completion of dental consents or provision of routine dental care as required.