Failure to Designate Staff for Hospice Communication and Coordination
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to designate a specific interdisciplinary team member responsible for collaborating with hospice representatives and coordinating the participation of LTC facility staff in the hospice care planning process for residents receiving hospice services. Instead, communication with hospice agencies was handled inconsistently, with various staff members such as nurses, the DON, the Administrator, and the Social Worker all potentially communicating with hospice, but without a clear assignment of responsibility. This lack of a designated point of contact was confirmed in interviews with the Administrator and DON, who both stated that no single person was assigned to communicate with hospice agencies. A resident with a history of hemiplegia, vascular dementia, and aphasia was admitted to the facility and later placed on hospice care. The resident required significant assistance with activities of daily living and had moderate cognitive impairment. Record reviews showed that the resident was admitted to hospice services, but there was no evidence that a specific staff member was coordinating care or communication with the hospice agency as required by facility policy. Further, the hospice social worker reported not being notified by the facility about the resident's follow-up appointments or receiving discharge paperwork after a hospital visit. The facility's policy required a designated team member to coordinate care and communication with hospice, but the policy form was left blank regarding the responsible individual's name and title. This failure to assign and document a responsible staff member led to gaps in communication and coordination of care for the resident receiving hospice services.