Failure to Use Mechanical Lift During Resident Transfers
Summary
The facility failed to protect residents from neglect by not using the designated mechanical lift for transfers for two residents who required lift assistance. For R7, the care plan initiated on 6/20/2025 directed staff to use a mechanical lift with two staff assistants for transfers. R7’s admission record showed diagnoses including bilateral rotator cuff injuries, cerebral infarction, and nontraumatic intracerebral hemorrhage, and the MDS indicated he was dependent on staff for transfers. A family member reported that after R7 fell from the bed, staff attempted to move him from the floor to the bed by his legs and neck, dropped him so his head hit the floor, and then transferred him again. Video reviewed by surveyors showed a person in a blue shirt and a person in a white lab jacket lifting R7 by the legs and neck from the floor, dropping him so his head hit the floor first, and then lifting him again to the bed while he moaned and cried. Documentation and interviews showed the event was not handled according to the resident’s plan of care. The nurse’s note documented that R7 was found almost on the floor, was assisted to the floor, assessed, and transferred back to bed with one assist, but it did not document family notification. The DON stated the family was notified, while the LPN later stated she did not notify the family during the interview and said the family was called later that day. The LPN and CNA involved were identified through video review and later interviews; the LPN stated she could not find a sling and therefore used a two-person transfer, and the CNA stated she placed her hands under the resident’s shoulders/arm pits to transfer him. The facility record showed both employees continued working after the incident for additional shifts before their employment ended for gross misconduct. A second resident, R16, also had a care plan requiring a mechanical lift with two staff for transfers. R16’s admission record listed dementia, quadriplegia, and type 2 diabetes mellitus with diabetic neuropathy, and the MDS showed a BIMS score of 8 with moderate impairment. Surveyors observed swelling in the right knee and a laceration on the right great toe with red drainage, and the resident complained of right knee pain. The facility reportable incident stated that an employee transferred R16 from bed to wheelchair without using the mechanical lift, causing a small laceration to the right great toe. The CNA later stated she knew R16 required a two-person mechanical lift transfer, but transferred the resident alone because the resident was crying, complained of hurting, and refused to get up. The CNA stated she did not report the resident’s pain or the transfer to the charge nurse or UM.
Penalty
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