Failure to Ensure Timely Physician or NP Visits
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that two residents were seen by a physician or nurse practitioner (NP) at the required intervals following admission. For one resident admitted with malnutrition, dementia, and hypertension, the initial physician visit occurred in March 2024, but subsequent visits were not conducted by the physician until December 2024, with all interim visits performed by the NP. After December 2024, there was a gap of 119 days before the next visit, and another gap of 112 days with no documented visits by either the physician or NP. The medical director and attending physician both acknowledged that the required 60-day visit intervals were not met and cited a lack of an alert system to notify them when residents were due for visits. Another resident, admitted with dementia and seizures, was last seen by the attending physician in May 2024, with subsequent visits by a physician assistant occurring at intervals that exceeded the required 60 days. The DON confirmed that there were no missing visit notes in the resident's record, and the attending physician admitted to being behind on visits, relying on the facility to inform him when residents were due to be seen. Both cases demonstrate a failure to meet the regulatory requirement for timely face-to-face visits by a physician or NP.