F0791

E

Failure to Reschedule Canceled Dental Appointment Due to Insurance Issue

Alamogordo, New Mexico Survey Completed on 11-21-2025

Penalty

No penalty information released

Summary

The facility failed to ensure that a resident received necessary dental services when a scheduled dental appointment was canceled due to insurance issues and not rescheduled. The resident was admitted on an unspecified date and, according to an interview with the resident’s son on 11/18/25, had not seen a dentist since admission. A progress note dated 01/28/25 documented that the resident had been scheduled for a routine dental exam, but the dental office canceled the appointment because the resident’s insurance was inactive. In an interview on 11/19/25, Medical Records confirmed that the dental office canceled the 01/28/25 appointment due to inactive insurance and acknowledged that the appointment had not been rescheduled. On 11/20/25, the Regional Clinical Nurse further confirmed that a dental appointment had not been rescheduled for this resident.

This deficient practice was identified for one of two residents reviewed for dental care and was cited as a failure to provide or obtain dental services for each resident, which could likely result in tooth decay, tooth pain, and difficulty chewing.