Failure to Serve Meals at Posted Scheduled Times
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to serve meals at the posted and scheduled times as outlined in its dietary policy and application for Medicare and Medicaid, which state that three well-planned meals will be served at regularly scheduled hours of 7:30 a.m. for breakfast, 11:30 a.m. for lunch, and 5:00 p.m. for dinner. Record review confirmed these scheduled times, and the Certified Dietary Manager verified them during interview. However, surveyor observations showed breakfast service began at 8:10 a.m. and lunch at 12:15 p.m. on one day, and breakfast began at 8:17 a.m. on another day, all later than the posted times. During interview, the Certified Dietary Manager stated that breakfast was late being served because no staff had rolled silverware, which was needed before serving the meal. A resident reported that meals are served late all the time. This failure to adhere to scheduled meal times had the potential to affect all 95 residents in the facility. The deficiency centers on the inconsistency between the facility’s documented dietary policy and actual practice, as evidenced by delayed meal service on multiple observed days, staff acknowledgment of operational issues (lack of rolled silverware) causing delays, and resident report of chronic lateness of meals.
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