Failure to Implement Ordered PT Services for Resident With Impaired Mobility
Summary
The facility failed to implement physician orders for PT for one resident with impaired lower extremity mobility. The resident had been originally admitted and later readmitted with a displaced intertrochanteric fracture of the left femur, COPD, and osteoarthritis of the right hip. An MDS assessment showed impaired range of motion in one lower extremity and a need for substantial/maximal assistance with sit-to-stand, sit-to-lying, and bed/chair transfers. The Order Summary Report contained an admission order for PT, OT, and ST evaluation and treatment. The resident’s care plans for fall risk and unsafe device use/body alignment included interventions for PT to evaluate and treat, and to provide gait training, posture correction, and strength exercises. A Rehab Post Fall Screen following a fall identified lower extremity weakness and indicated the resident was currently on rehab services. Despite these orders and care plan interventions, there was no documentation that PT services were ever initiated or provided after the resident’s readmission. During interviews and record reviews, the MDS nurse confirmed there were OT clarification orders and that OT was discharged, but she did not find any PT orders beyond the initial admission order. The OTA could not locate a PT evaluation after readmission and acknowledged she had not documented informing the prior DOR that the resident had not been seen by PT. The RN supervisor also could not find documentation of PT and stated she was responsible for reviewing care plans and ensuring the resident received PT. The resident reported feeling upset and frustrated, stating he had not received therapy for leg training for ambulation since returning from the hospital. The DON stated that after rehab orders are entered, nursing staff must follow up and communicate with rehab when ordered therapy is not provided. Facility policies on resident mobility and specialized rehabilitative services required that residents with limited mobility receive appropriate services and that rehabilitative services be provided as indicated by the MDS, but these were not followed for this resident.
Penalty
Resources
Below are regulatory guidelines relevant to this citation:
Trusted data from CMS and state health departments
Every citation, penalty and Plan of Correction is sourced from public CMS records (latest release July 29, 2026) and official state health department websites — never guesswork.
In your survey window? See what surveyors are citing.
The Survey-Prep Report maps your facility's risk from 12 months of CMS and state citation data — what's being cited around you and what to check first. $129 one-time.