Failure to Complete Ordered Respiratory Viral Panel
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that an ordered respiratory viral panel was performed for one resident. A nurse practitioner documented an acute cough for Resident R4 and entered an order for a respiratory viral panel on 2/5/26, also verbally informing the nurse of the order. During a later interview, the nurse practitioner stated she had not seen any test results and did not know whether the test had been completed. The Director of Nursing explained that when a provider orders a respiratory viral panel, nursing staff are responsible for collecting the specimen, notifying the laboratory for pickup, and completing a lab requisition form, but she was unable to find any evidence that a specimen had been collected or sent. This failure occurred despite a facility policy requiring that laboratory and diagnostic services ordered by authorized providers be obtained to meet residents’ needs and that nurses carry out such orders per facility protocol.
