Failure to Timely Assess and Care Plan for Resident Smoking Safety
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to timely identify and assess a resident for smoking safety upon admission, despite clear documentation from the hospital and physician that the resident was a daily smoker with a long history of tobacco use. The facility's policy required that all residents be asked about tobacco use during the admission process and at each MDS assessment, with further assessment for those who smoke to determine supervision needs. However, the resident's smoking status was not properly identified at admission, and the required smoking safety assessment was not completed until five weeks later. Additionally, interventions related to smoking were not implemented in the resident's care plan until several days after the assessment was finally completed. The resident had significant medical diagnoses, including high blood pressure, peripheral vascular disease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and required supervision to smoke. Facility leadership confirmed that the assessment and care planning for smoking safety were not conducted in a timely manner, resulting in a failure to provide adequate supervision and accident hazard prevention as required by facility policy and state regulations.