Air mattress settings not specified or documented for four residents
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that air mattresses for four residents were managed according to professional standards of quality. Surveyors found that the residents’ physician orders directed staff to apply an air mattress and check settings every shift for wound healing and prevention, but the orders did not specify the exact mattress settings to be used. Review of the residents’ electronic medical records also did not reveal assessments or documentation identifying what the air mattress settings should be for each resident, and there was no documentation showing the mattresses were being monitored and maintained on a routine basis. Resident #5 had diagnoses including CHF, peripheral vascular disease, and chronic respiratory failure with hypoxia, and was cognitively intact. The resident’s Meridian Medical air mattress was observed with the power and static switches illuminated, the normal pressure indicator lit, and the firmness dial set to the second blue block. The physician order required an air mattress and shift checks, but did not identify the proper setting, and the record did not show any assessment or documentation of the correct setting or routine maintenance. Resident #9 had dementia, type 2 diabetes mellitus, emphysema, stage 4 CKD, and a sacral pressure ulcer, and was cognitively intact. The resident’s Meridian Medical air mattress was observed with the power and static switches illuminated, the normal pressure indicator lit, and the firmness dial set to the middle. The care plan and physician order both called for an air mattress and checking settings, but neither identified the correct setting, and the EMR and hospice notes did not show an assessment or routine monitoring documentation. Resident #47 had hypertensive heart disease, atherosclerotic heart disease, senile degeneration of the brain, restlessness, and agitation, and was severely cognitively impaired. The resident’s Meridian Medical air mattress was observed with the power and static switches illuminated, the normal pressure indicator lit, and the firmness dial set to the fifth blue block. The physician order required an air mattress and shift checks, but did not specify the setting, and the record did not show an assessment or documentation of the correct setting or routine maintenance. Resident #61 had dementia, spinal stenosis, peripheral vascular disease, and pressure-induced deep tissue damage of the right heel, and was severely cognitively impaired. The resident’s Genesis III air mattress was observed with the firmness dial near the 225 lb setting, while the resident weighed 180 lbs. The power indicator and lower pressure indicator were on, and the normal pressure indicator was off. The physician order required an air mattress and monitoring, but did not specify the setting, and the EMR did not show an assessment or documentation of the correct setting or routine maintenance.
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