Missed tracheostomy cares and tube feedings
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that a resident with intact cognition and multiple complex diagnoses, including respiratory failure, tracheostomy status, dependence on a respirator, diabetes, malnutrition, depression, psychotic disorder, anxiety, and myotonic muscular dystrophy, received care and services in accordance with her assessment and plan of care. The resident’s care plan required tracheostomy cares twice daily, but the record showed refusals on several occasions in May 2026 and missing documentation on other scheduled times. A respiratory therapist stated the resident preferred the inner cannula change only once daily and never accepted albuterol treatments, while another respiratory therapist stated the resident reported that agency staff did not come in to perform tracheostomy cares as ordered. The facility also failed to provide the resident’s ordered tube feeding regimen as scheduled. The record showed an order for enteral feedings multiple times per day, but in May 2026 the resident frequently received fewer feedings than ordered, including days with only three feedings and one day with only two feedings. Documentation reflected refusals and occasional holds related to residuals or the resident stating she felt full, but the progress notes did not contain documentation of alternative feeding options for the missed feedings. A nutrition note stated the current regimen might not adequately meet estimated nutrition needs due to frequent refusals and noted ongoing concerns with significant weight loss and pressure areas. Interviews showed the resident and her representative stated she did not like to wake up early and that her feeding schedule had been changed later to better match her routine, but they also reported a missed or delayed feeding when a new nurse did not arrive on time. A nurse practitioner stated the resident refused almost 50 percent of her feedings and had failure to thrive, and expressed concern that staff were not cleaning the tracheostomy twice daily as ordered. The facility’s enteral feeding policy described feeding protocols but did not address resident choice, preference-based scheduling, or how to manage dietary refusals.
Penalty
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