Failure to complete ordered neuro checks, document skin wounds, and maintain Broda chair positioning
Summary
Neurological checks were not completed after a resident was found crawling on the floor, which was treated as a potential unwitnessed fall. The resident had been admitted with a history of falls, could walk with supervision or touch assistance, and had care plan entries noting a history of crawling on the floor and crawling out of bed. After the resident was found crawling toward the door, the nurse assessed the resident and documented no injuries. The NP was notified and ordered neurological checks with vital signs every 15 minutes for 1 hour, every 30 minutes for 1 hour, hourly for 4 hours, and then every 4 hours for 24 hours, but there was no evidence in the record that the ordered checks were implemented. Open skin areas on another resident were not assessed and documented according to the facility’s wound care and skin assessment policies. The resident was admitted with multiple diagnoses including uropathy, chronic kidney disease, UTI, and urinary retention, and had a BIMS score of 7, indicating severely impaired cognition. The care plan identified the resident as at risk for skin breakdown and noted redness to the sacrum on readmission. Nursing skin assessments repeatedly described discoloration to the buttocks and small open areas in the coccyx area, while later skin notes described a large open area to the sacral area with pink and red tissue and active bleeding, and another note described open areas without measurements or the number of areas identified. The wound nurse stated she could not find documentation of measurements for the open areas since admission. Proper positioning and use of a Broda chair were not maintained for a resident with severe intellectual disability, legal blindness, aphasia, hearing loss, impaired cognition, and severely impaired decision-making skills. The resident was dependent for positioning and mobility and used a manual wheelchair. During multiple observations, the left shoulder bolster on the Broda chair was loose, hanging off the side, or not in place, and at times no shoulder bolsters were positioned on either side. Staff stated the bolsters were intended to provide lateral support and should be properly placed each time the resident was positioned in the chair, but the cushions were observed slipping down or remaining loose.
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.