F0840

D

Lack of Written Contract for Dental Services with Outside Provider

New Braunfels, Texas Survey Completed on 01-30-2026

Penalty

No penalty information released

Summary

The facility failed to ensure that agreements with outside professional resources for dental services were in place and specified in writing that the facility assumed responsibility for obtaining services that meet professional standards. Record review of the facility’s contract binder on 01/30/2026 showed there was no contract with the dental service provider. The Administrator reported that a new company purchased the facility in November 2025 and should have contracted with a local dental facility to provide dental services to residents who needed dental care, but she did not know why a contract had not been established. She stated that a local dentist had visited the facility and provided dental care to residents on 01/27/2026, and that residents’ doctors might choose the dental provider.

The Administrator and regional company leaders were identified as responsible for obtaining contracts with outside resources, and the Administrator acknowledged that without a contract, residents might not have dental care. The DON stated that residents received dental services if needed because their doctors might choose community dentists, but also acknowledged that without a contract with a dental facility there was a potential risk of residents not receiving dental care. Review of the facility’s policy titled “Dental Services,” revised 12/2016, indicated that routine and 24-hour emergency dental services were to be provided through a contract agreement with a licensed dentist who comes to the facility monthly, or by referral to the resident’s personal dentist, community dentists, or other health care organizations that provide dental services. Despite this policy, the facility did not have the required written agreement with a dental service provider at the time of the survey.