Failure to Follow Leg Wrap Orders and Coordinate Hospice Services
Summary
The facility failed to follow provider orders for a resident with edema who had diagnoses including essential hypertension, non-rheumatic aortic stenosis, diabetes type II, prosthetic heart valve replacement, morbid obesity, and metabolic encephalopathy. The resident’s medical orders included applying bilateral lower-extremity leg wraps in the morning and removing them at night, and the treatment record included that order. However, during multiple observations, the resident was seen without the leg wraps on, with the wraps left on a bedside table, and the resident stated staff sometimes got busy and did not wrap her legs. A nurse stated he was running behind and would try to wrap the resident’s legs as soon as possible, and the nurse manager verified the wraps were not on and said she would do it. The director of nursing stated the leg wraps and compression stockings should be applied first thing in the morning. The DON also stated that if the wraps or stockings were not applied, the resident’s edema could worsen, cause fluid overload, worsen cardiac-related symptoms, and possibly have a negative effect on the resident’s wellbeing. A policy regarding edema and following doctor’s orders was requested but not provided. The facility also failed to ensure effective collaboration with hospice services for a resident with severe cognitive impairment, stroke, atrial fibrillation, congestive heart failure, hypertension, Alzheimer’s disease, and hospice services. The resident’s record showed hospice orders, but only one hospice nurse progress note was present for the month reviewed. Staff were unable to identify the hospice schedule or locate a hospice binder in the EMR, and the hard chart lacked a hospice care plan and current hospice certification. Although a hospice schedule existed in the hard chart, nursing staff and nursing assistants stated they did not know what hospice services were being provided or when hospice staff were scheduled to visit, and the hospice program manager stated the hospice nurse needed to copy progress notes into the facility EMR while other team members documented in a hospice communication book kept in the resident’s room.
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 October 8, 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.