Delay in Provider Notification and Treatment Following Abnormal Lab Results
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure timely physician notification of laboratory results for a resident, resulting in a delay in treatment. Specifically, a urine analysis and culture were ordered to rule out a urinary tract infection (UTI). The lab specimen was collected and resulted, but the results were not reviewed until the following day. There was no documentation that the provider was notified of the abnormal results on the day they became available. The medical record did not show any provider notification or action on the day the lab results were reported. Further review revealed that an antibiotic was not ordered until more than 25 hours after the lab results were available. Progress notes and provider documentation addressing the urine results were dated the day after the results were reported. Interviews with facility staff confirmed that there was no evidence or documentation of timely provider notification or intervention on the day the lab results were received.