Failure to Honor Responsible Party's Request for Podiatry Services
Penalty
Summary
A deficiency occurred when the facility failed to honor a responsible party's request to remove a resident from the podiatrist patient list. The resident, who had dementia and severely impaired cognition, was dependent on staff for activities of daily living. The responsible party had communicated the request to remove the resident from the podiatry list to both the Social Services Director (SSD) and the Director of Nursing (DON) during an Interdisciplinary Team meeting and through direct communication. The SSD acknowledged receiving the request in August, while the responsible party stated the request was initially made in January. Despite these communications, the resident was seen by the podiatrist after the removal request had been made. Interviews with facility staff revealed a lack of coordination between the social services department and the podiatrist's office regarding which residents were to be seen. The DON confirmed that the request to remove the resident from the podiatry list was overlooked and that proper coordination should have occurred when the request was first made. Review of facility policy indicated that residents have the right to be informed of and participate in their care planning and treatment, which was not upheld in this instance.