Failure to Provide Ordered Speech Therapy Services
Penalty
Summary
The deficiency involves the facility’s failure to provide ordered speech therapy services for two residents requiring specialized rehabilitative care. One resident, admitted with diagnoses including dysphagia, dementia, and rheumatoid arthritis, had an MDS indicating severe cognitive impairment and a need for supervisory support with eating, positioning, and transferring, while remaining independently mobile in a manual wheelchair. Physician orders directed continuation of the resident’s existing speech therapy plan of care under a new provider effective 02/01/26, with a treatment plan calling for speech therapy twice weekly for four weeks during the certification period 02/01/26–02/28/26. The short-term goals included tolerating a mechanical soft diet without signs or symptoms of aspiration and performing oral-motor strength exercises to improve swallow function. Record review showed only one 23‑minute speech therapy session on 02/20/26, with no other speech therapy visits documented during the certification period. The second resident, admitted with a history of cerebral infarction, dysphagia following cerebral infarction, and other speech and language deficits following cerebral infarction, had an MDS showing moderately impaired cognition, a need for supervisory support with eating, and dependence on staff for positioning and transferring, while also being independently mobile in a manual wheelchair. Physician orders similarly required continuation of this resident’s speech therapy plan of care under a new provider effective 02/01/26, with a plan of treatment specifying speech therapy three times weekly for four weeks during the same certification period. Short-term goals included improving communication and speech intelligibility and tolerating a regular texture diet without signs or symptoms of aspiration. Documentation revealed only one 23‑minute speech therapy session on 02/20/26, with no additional visits recorded. In an interview, the Therapy Regional Manager stated that rehabilitative therapy services began on 02/02/26 after termination of the previous therapy contractor, confirmed that both residents received speech therapy only on 02/20/26, and acknowledged that although telehealth speech therapy was available, it was not used.
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.