Failure to Implement Diabetes Management Parameters and Individualized Fall Interventions
Summary
The deficiency involves the facility’s failure to implement appropriate care planning and clinical parameters for a resident with diabetes mellitus. One resident with a documented diagnosis of diabetes had an admission MDS showing intact cognition and dependence on staff for toileting hygiene, mobility, and transfers, and received daily insulin. The resident’s care plan directed staff only to provide a nighttime protein snack to keep blood sugars even and did not include any further direction related to diabetes management. A physician order required blood sugars to be obtained before meals and at bedtime for diabetes, but the medical record did not contain any blood sugar parameters. A licensed nurse confirmed there were no parameters and stated he would use his own nursing judgment to decide when to notify the physician, and a CMA reported not knowing what the parameters should be, noting that parameters had existed in a prior computer system but were absent in the new one. An administrative nurse stated the resident should have physician-ordered blood sugar parameters and that the care plan should direct staff on what to monitor for regarding the resident’s diabetes. The deficiency also includes failure to implement individualized fall interventions for another resident with dementia, anxiety, repeated falls, and severely impaired cognition. This resident was dependent on staff for ambulation, toileting hygiene, and lower-body dressing, and required substantial assistance for mobility and supervision with transfers. The admission MDS documented that the resident was at risk for falls, had no functional impairment, and had experienced two or more falls since admission. The care plan instructed staff to determine and address causative factors of falls, provide exercise and strength-building activities, obtain a PT consult for strength and mobility, and request a pharmacist medication review, but did not include specific, individualized fall interventions beyond these general directions. Multiple fall assessments and investigations documented that the resident was at high risk for falls and had several episodes of being found on the floor after scooting herself in her room, often near the room door, with falls described as unwitnessed and without injury. Immediate interventions documented in the fall investigations included obtaining a fall mat and placing signs in the room to remind the resident to call for help before attempting to transfer. Observations showed the resident in a low bed with a fall mat, able to stand with a gait belt and ambulate steadily with a walker, and staff reported she had numerous falls in her room, wore a Wander Guard that alarmed frequently, and was often placed in a recliner in the dayroom so staff could watch her. An administrative nurse stated that the resident had many falls in her room and that staff should have put interventions in place for those falls, and further confirmed that all the incidents where she scooted on the floor in her room were considered falls. The facility’s Resident Care Plan policy required evaluation by the interdisciplinary team, initiation of a care plan within 48 hours of admission, and review and revision of the care plan when resident needs changed, but the documented care plans did not reflect individualized interventions for the resident’s repeated falls.
Penalty
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Care plan omissions were identified for two residents. One resident’s care plan did not include multiple documented diagnoses, including UTI, bleeding hemorrhoids, TBI, pneumonia, CKD, and diverticulitis, despite severe cognitive impairment. Another resident’s care plan did not include a physician order for biannual valproic acid level testing and monitoring for side effects, and the DON and MDS Coordinator stated these items should have been included.
Missed Quarterly Care Conference and Resident Participation: A resident who was cognitively intact and had HTN, arthritis, and schizophrenia did not have documented routine care conferences at the expected quarterly interval. The EMR showed care conferences were documented, but there was no evidence of one between two documented meetings, and the resident stated she had not been invited to any care meetings over the past year. The LSW and Admin both confirmed the lack of documentation and stated residents should be included when able.
A resident with cerebral palsy and depressive disorder had conflicting code status documentation in the medical record: the emergency care document showed full code, while the care plan listed DNR and no CPR. The DON stated the care plan was completed in error and should have been revised but had not been.
Missed Care Conference Participation: A resident with intact cognition was not given the opportunity to attend and participate in a care conference. Staff confirmed care conferences were expected after MDS assessments and significant changes, but the resident’s record showed no conference documented for several months, and the family member reported the last conference had been months earlier.
A resident with dementia, bipolar disorder, and HF was on hospice status, but the care plan did not identify the terminal illness as a focus area or include hospice/end-of-life interventions. The care plan only referenced hospice in limited areas such as ADL care, psychosocial support, activities, and anti-anxiety medication related to end of life. The DNS acknowledged the care plan was not revised to reflect the resident’s hospice status.
Care plans were not updated to reflect changed resident conditions, preferences, and interventions. One resident's plan still showed hospice and wound-based EBP after hospice ended and the wound healed, another still listed Influenza A after the illness had resolved, and a third did not include behavior interventions such as a door chime and bookshelf sticker or updated dining preferences. Two residents with family-requested cameras also had care plans that omitted the camera use, rationale, and related monitoring details.
Care Plan Omissions for Resident Diagnoses and Valproic Acid Monitoring
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to review and revise the comprehensive care plan for 2 of 32 residents reviewed. Resident #1 was admitted with diagnoses including frequent urinary tract infections, bleeding hemorrhoids, traumatic brain injury, pneumonia, chronic kidney disease, and diverticulitis, and the quarterly MDS showed a BIMS score of 7 indicating severe cognitive impairment. The resident’s care plan, revised 03/05/2026, did not include those diagnoses even though they were part of the resident’s documented medical history. Resident #8 was admitted with diagnoses including unspecified dementia, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and heart failure, and the quarterly MDS showed a BIMS score of 6 indicating severe cognitive impairment. The resident’s order summary included a physician order dated 01/23/2025 for valproic acid level testing every 6 months in October and April, but the care plan, revised 05/14/2026, did not include that order. During interviews, the DON and MDS Coordinator stated that both residents’ omitted diagnoses and the valproic acid monitoring order should have been included in the care plans, and the MDS Coordinator identified the omission as an oversight.
Missed Quarterly Care Conference and Resident Participation
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to provide routine care conferences to allow resident participation for one resident who was reviewed for care conferences. The resident’s quarterly MDS assessment indicated admission to the facility, cognitive intactness, and diagnoses of high blood pressure, arthritis, and schizophrenia. The resident’s EMR showed care conferences were documented on 5/2/25, 10/7/25, 12/30/25, and 3/28/26, but there was no evidence of a care conference between 5/2/25 and 10/7/25. During interview, the resident stated she understood what care conferences were but had not been invited to any type of care meeting over the past year. The LSW stated care conferences should occur at admission, then every three months and/or with a significant change of condition, and that she was responsible for scheduling and documenting them in the EMR. The LSW could not provide documentation of a care conference between 5/2/25 and 10/7/25 and stated, "If it isn't documented it didn't happen." The Administrator confirmed care conferences were expected quarterly and should include residents if able or their representative, and also confirmed there was no documentation of a care conference for the resident during that interval. The facility policy stated residents and their designated responsible party are invited to attend the initial care planning conference and sequential conferences, including annual and significant change conferences.
Care Plan Not Updated to Match Current Code Status
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure a resident’s care plan was revised to reflect the resident’s current code status. The facility’s Care Plan policy stated that care plans would be reviewed quarterly, annually, and with a change of status to ensure they remained current. Resident #4 was admitted with multiple diagnoses including cerebral palsy and depressive disorder. The resident’s medical record contained a Plan for Emergency Care and Intensity of Treatment document showing full code status, while the resident’s care plan documented DNR status and no CPR. The DON stated that the care plan had been completed in error and should have been revised but had not been.
Missed Care Conference Participation
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to provide R10 the opportunity to attend and participate in a care conference. R10’s quarterly MDS assessment dated 5/25/26 identified intact cognition and no hallucinations, delusions, rejection of care, or behaviors. During an interview on 6/1/26, R10 stated she had not had a care conference recently and said the last one was more than 3 months ago. Review of the record showed R10’s last documented Social Service Conference was on 1/16/26, and progress notes from 1/30/26 through 6/3/26 did not show any care conference held or scheduled. Staff interviews confirmed care conferences were expected to occur quarterly, after significant changes, and following MDS assessments, but R10’s quarterly and significant change MDS assessments were not followed by a documented conference. R10’s family member stated they typically attended care conferences, and the social services staff later verified that R10’s care conference had been missed and was only scheduled after the surveyor’s inquiry.
Care Plan Not Revised to Reflect Hospice Status
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to revise a resident’s care plan to reflect hospice status and terminal illness for one sampled resident. The resident had diagnoses including dementia, bipolar disorder, and heart failure, and the 8/14/25 Significant Change MDS indicated hospice status. Review of the care plan showed hospice-related references for ADL care, psychosocial well-being, activities, and anti-anxiety medication related to end of life, but it did not identify the resident’s terminal illness as a focus area with interventions including hospice services or other end-of-life interventions. On 6/4/26, the DNS stated the expectation was for a terminal illness to be captured with interventions including hospice services on the care plan, and acknowledged the care plan was not revised to reflect the resident’s terminal illness and hospice status.
Care plans not revised for changed conditions, behaviors, and electronic monitoring
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to revise comprehensive care plans to reflect significant changes in resident status, conditions, preferences, and interventions for three residents reviewed for care plan revision. One resident had a discharge return anticipated MDS showing moderate cognitive impairment, multiple diagnoses including cancer, septicemia, and non-Alzheimer's dementia, and hospice services. The resident's EHR showed hospice services were discontinued, but the care plan continued to identify the resident as receiving hospice care. The same resident's care plan also continued to state that Enhanced Barrier Precautions were required due to a wound, even though the wound had healed and the resident remained on EBP because of a urinary catheter. Another resident's comprehensive MDS identified moderate cognitive impairment, diabetes, CVA, and use of insulin, an anticoagulant, and an antidepressant. The resident's care plan still listed Influenza A as an active respiratory infection with an initiation date from the prior year, but the EHR did not identify ongoing signs, symptoms, treatment, or diagnosis of Influenza A. A third resident had severe cognitive impairment, dementia, PTSD, behavioral symptoms, and wandering behavior. The resident's care plan included dining preference interventions stating the resident preferred to sit alone during meals and liked to sit in the dining room by the television next to the window, but the EHR showed the resident had behavior management interventions in place, including a bookshelf sticker on the door and a door chime to alert staff when the room door opened, and these interventions were not included in the care plan. Observations showed the resident with wandering and behavioral concerns eating and sitting with other residents in the dining room rather than alone, and staff interviews confirmed the resident had become less agitated, spent more time outside the room, and that the door chime and bookshelf sticker had been implemented and were effective. Interviews also confirmed the hospice discharge, the healed wound, the ongoing catheter-related EBP need, and that Influenza A had not been present for quite some time. The DON stated care plans should be updated whenever there was a new diagnosis, condition, intervention, preference change, or other significant change in status, and that care plans served as the primary communication tool for staff. The facility also failed to update care plans for two residents with electronic monitoring in their rooms. One resident's care plan lacked the use of a camera, the rationale for it, and the fact that family had placed it for monitoring and interaction. Another resident's care plan also lacked the use of a video camera with audio capability, the rationale, and related interventions such as signage, staff awareness, and family interaction through audio. Records showed consent forms and progress notes documenting the cameras, staff notification, signage, and family involvement, but these details were not reflected in the care plans. Staff interviews confirmed that the camera use should have been outlined in the care plans and that nursing staff were responsible for updating them.
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