Lack of Documentation and Policy for 24-Hour Physician Coverage
Penalty
Summary
The deficiency involves the facility’s failure to maintain and provide evidence of 24-hour physician coverage for emergency care. During document and policy review, surveyors were unable to obtain any written agreement, contract, or other documentation verifying that physician services were available around the clock to respond to resident medical emergencies. An interview with the Administrator revealed that she could not produce documentation demonstrating how 24-hour physician services are ensured, explaining that important binders had been relocated during a recent facility-wide evacuation and the requested documents could not be located at the time of survey. Additionally, the facility was unable to provide any policy or procedure describing how 24-hour physician availability is arranged, maintained, and verified to ensure timely medical oversight during emergencies. No resident-specific information, medical histories, or conditions at the time of the deficiency were documented in the report.
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