Failure to Inform Visually Impaired Resident of Care in Understandable Manner
Penalty
Summary
Facility staff failed to ensure that a resident with severe visual impairment was fully informed about their care and treatment in a manner they could understand. The resident, who had a left eye prosthetic and was legally blind in the right eye, was given a Notice of Medicare Non-Coverage (NOMNC) to sign. The NOMNC included important information about the termination of skilled nursing facility services and instructions for appeal, which required timely action. Despite the resident's blindness, staff did not adequately explain the paperwork or allow the resident to ask questions, as reported by the resident during an interview. The resident ultimately had to rely on a family member to communicate with staff about their lack of understanding regarding the NOMNC. Staff E from Social Services stated that they typically reviewed such paperwork with visually impaired residents and would involve a representative if requested. In this case, Staff E attempted to reach the resident's representative but was unsuccessful, after which the resident agreed to proceed without their representative. However, there was no documentation in the progress notes of any attempts to contact the representative on or before the date the NOMNC was served. This lack of appropriate communication and documentation resulted in the resident not being fully informed in a manner they could understand.