Failure to Communicate and Document Funeral Home Notification After Resident Death
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to establish clear communication and documentation regarding the notification to a funeral home for the removal of a deceased resident's remains. The resident, who had multiple medical diagnoses including traumatic subdural hemorrhage, dementia, COPD, heart disease, chronic kidney disease stage 4, anxiety disorder, scoliosis, GERD, and a history of repeated falls, expired at 11:52 AM under hospice care. Although the hospice nurse and family were present at the time of death, and the Director of Nursing was notified, there was no confirmation or documentation that the funeral home had been contacted to remove the resident's remains. Multiple LPNs on different shifts assumed that either the hospice nurse or another staff member had made the necessary notification, but none confirmed or documented this action. As a result, the resident's body remained in the facility until the following day, when a housekeeper discovered the remains and notified nursing staff, prompting the eventual call to the funeral home. The lack of clear communication and documentation among staff members led to a significant delay in the removal of the deceased resident's body. Shift-to-shift handoffs did not include confirmation of funeral home notification, and there was no entry in the resident's chart indicating when the remains were removed. The hospice nurse had informed staff that the facility was responsible for contacting the funeral home after the family had spent time with the resident, but this responsibility was not clearly assigned or followed up on by facility staff. This breakdown in communication and documentation resulted in the resident's remains remaining in the facility for an extended period after death.