Failure to Ensure Routine Dental Care for Resident
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that a resident received routine dental care as required. Record reviews showed that the resident had not received annual dental services, with the last documented dental visit occurring nearly two years prior. Although there was a provider order for a dental appointment, there was no documentation that the resident attended the appointment, and the order was later discontinued. Interviews with the resident confirmed that she had not received dental services in a while and was experiencing dental pain. Further investigation revealed that the facility's process for arranging dental appointments was unclear and inconsistently followed. The facility's driver was primarily responsible for tracking and scheduling dental appointments, with occasional input from social services and nurse managers. However, both the Social Services Director and Nurse Manager were unaware that the resident had missed annual dental appointments. The Director of Nursing clarified that the responsibility for arranging dental appointments should have been shared by the Interdisciplinary Team, not solely the driver.