Failure to Provide Required Speech/Language Pathology Services
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to provide or offer Speech/Language Pathology (SLP) services as required for a resident with significant medical needs. A resident with a history of cerebral infarction with left hemiplegia, aphasia, ischemic cardiomyopathy, obesity, congestive heart failure, and chronic kidney disease was readmitted to the facility after a hospital stay for a stroke. Upon readmission, the resident had orders for NPO status and continuous tube feedings due to dysphagia, and had previously received SLP services in the hospital, including recommendations for ongoing SLP evaluation. Despite these recommendations and the resident's subsequent improvement in cognition, the facility did not provide SLP services because they had not had a Speech Therapist on staff since October 2024. The Director of Rehab confirmed that although the resident would have benefited from SLP services after cognitive improvement, no such services were offered or provided. The facility's practice in cases of swallowing concerns was to obtain a modified barium swallow evaluation and follow dietary recommendations, but no ongoing SLP evaluation or treatment was documented for this resident.