Failure to Ensure Physician Supervision After Medical Director Resignation
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that residents were under the care of a supervising physician after the resignation of the previous medical director and primary physician. Physician #1 provided written notice of resignation in February, stating they would continue services through the end of April. Despite this advance notice, the facility did not secure a replacement physician by the time Physician #1 ceased providing care on April 30. As a result, 39 residents, including all six sampled residents, were left without physician supervision. Multiple residents and family members reported not knowing who their new physician would be, and some residents confirmed they had not seen a physician since Physician #1's departure. One resident reported running out of prescribed morphine and experiencing increased pain due to the inability to obtain a new prescription in the absence of a supervising physician. The corporate nurse consultant confirmed that there was no physician available for these residents after April 30, which led to delays in necessary medical care and prescriptions.