Failure to Ensure Timely Oncology Appointment and Lupron Injection
Penalty
Summary
The deficiency involves the facility’s failure to ensure a resident received cancer-related care as ordered and scheduled. The resident was admitted with prostate cancer and had a care plan noting an ADL self-care deficit related to malignant prostate cancer. A quarterly MDS showed the resident was cognitively intact, did not reject care, and required staff assistance with ADLs. An after-visit summary from the cancer center documented a scheduled return appointment for labs and an oncology visit with a Lupron injection, which the resident had been receiving every six months for over five years. On the date of the scheduled oncology appointment and Lupron injection, the resident was not transported to the cancer center. The resident reported that the transportation aide told him she had a mandatory meeting and could not take him, and that the appointment would need to be rescheduled. The resident stated the appointment was ultimately rescheduled and occurred about one month later, and he expressed concern and dissatisfaction about the delay in his cancer treatment, stating he believed other arrangements could have been made to get him to the appointment. Record review from the date of the missed appointment through the later appointment showed no documentation in the medical record or progress notes regarding the missed oncology appointment. Transportation Aide #2 stated she did not take the resident to the appointment because she had a CPR class that day, and that she notified Transportation Aide #1 she was unable to transport him. Transportation Aide #1 stated she could not accommodate the appointment in her schedule and rescheduled it for a date four weeks later, without notifying the DON. The Medical Director confirmed the resident was followed by oncology for high-risk prostate cancer and Lupron therapy and noted the cancer center documented he was slightly overdue for his next dose. The DON stated she was not made aware that the cancer treatment appointment had been rescheduled with a four-week delay and that the transportation aides did not notify her when they could not take the resident to his cancer treatment appointment.
We Help Long-Term Care Teams Stay Survey-Ready
We process and analyze inspection reports and plan of correction using AI to extract insights and trends so providers can improve care quality and stay ahead of compliance risks.