Failure to Develop Palliative Care Plan for Resident
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to develop a Palliative care plan for one resident who was reviewed for closed records. According to the health records, a physician's progress note documented that the resident's representative had agreed to Palliative care services, but there was no corresponding Palliative care plan in the resident's file. The Director of Nursing confirmed during an interview that a Palliative care plan was not present and acknowledged that one should have been developed to guide staff in providing comfort-focused interventions at the end of life. This deficiency was identified through record review and staff interview, and was found to be inconsistent with the facility's policy requiring timely, person-centered care plans involving the resident or their representative.