Failure to Timely Arrange Podiatry Consult for Resident with Foot Issues
Penalty
Summary
A deficiency was identified when the facility failed to timely arrange a podiatry appointment for a resident with significant risk factors, including congestive heart failure, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and hypertension. The resident's care plan included an intervention to consult podiatry as ordered. Multiple nursing and medication administration notes documented the need for an urgent podiatry consult due to an ingrown toenail and subsequent physician orders, but there was no documented evidence that the consult was arranged in a timely manner as required. The resident continued to experience foot issues, including pain and ruptured blisters, and only received a podiatry assessment when the podiatrist was present in the facility at a later date. The Director of Nursing confirmed that there was no documentation showing that the podiatry consult was ordered as per physician instructions. This failure was found to be noncompliant with resident care policies and nursing services regulations.