Failure to Coordinate Hospice Services for Resident Receiving End-of-Life Care
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure proper coordination of hospice services with facility services for a resident requiring end-of-life care. According to the facility's policy, hospice care should be coordinated and delivered in partnership with contracted hospice providers, in accordance with regulations and the resident's care plan. The resident in question had diagnoses of dementia, anemia, and depression, and was documented as receiving hospice care per the Minimum Data Set and physician orders. The care plan also indicated the resident had chosen hospice services and had an advanced directive in place. During an observation, the hospice binder for the resident could not be located at the nurse's station, and an LPN confirmed that the resident did not have a hospice binder. The DON later stated that the resident was no longer on hospice services, but there was no discharge order to stop hospice, nor was the care plan updated to reflect this change. The Nursing Home Administrator confirmed the facility's failure to coordinate hospice services with facility services to meet the resident's end-of-life care needs.