Failure to Ensure Required Physician Face-to-Face Visits and Documentation
Penalty
Summary
The deficiency involves the facility’s failure to ensure that residents were seen face-to-face by a physician at the required intervals and that the physician documented these visits in the medical record, as required by facility policy. Surveyors determined that four residents did not have physician progress notes or history and physical (H&P) examinations completed by their physician for a one-year period. Facility policy dated 08/2020 required the attending physician to evaluate residents at least every 30 days for the first 90 days after admission and at least every 60 days thereafter, with documentation of these visits in the health record. One affected resident had dementia with agitation and stimulant-induced anxiety disorder, a BIMS score of 8/15 indicating moderate cognitive impairment, and a care plan addressing cognitive impairment and behavioral issues such as throwing items at others, with interventions including monitoring behavior episodes and documenting potential causes. Another resident had unspecified dementia with behavioral disturbance and a care plan for impaired cognitive function, including using yes/no questions to determine needs. For this resident, an NP completed a history and physical, which was signed but not dated by the physician. A third resident had dementia with anxiety, a BIMS score of 15/15 indicating no cognitive impairment, and a care plan for impaired cognitive function with interventions such as identifying oneself at each interaction and maintaining eye contact. The fourth resident had schizoaffective disorder, bipolar type, with a BIMS score of 15/15 and a care plan for mood problems related to bipolar disorder, insomnia, depression, and anxiety, including risk for mood changes related to pain or discomfort and use of anticonvulsant medications for bipolar disorder. Review of the electronic health records for all four residents showed no physician progress notes, assessments, or H&Ps completed by their physician from 3/27/25 to 3/27/26. During interviews, the DON and ADM stated that the residents’ physician rounded on Wednesdays and signed off on NP notes, but they were unable to provide any written physician progress notes or H&Ps authored by the physician, other than the NP’s H&P for one resident that was signed but undated by the physician.
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