Inspection Findings:
Based on observation, interview, and record review it was determined the facility failed to ensure residents' change of condition was assessed for 2 of 6 sampled residents (#s 38 and 89) reviewed for hospitalization and unnecessary medications. This failure, determined to be an immediate jeopardy situation, resulted in the delayed assessment of Resident 89 when she/he was experiencing a significant change in condition, resulting in delayed treatment. Resident 89 later died at the hospital. This placed all residents at risk for delayed assessments and treatments and constituted substandard quality of care. Findings include:
Per National Library of Medicine online resource: Bleeding in the upper stomach and intestinal region carries a high morbidity (sudden onset of a health condition) and mortality (death) which can be lowered by timely evaluation and treatment. Signs of this condition include vomit which looked like coffee grounds.
1. Resident 89 was admitted to the facility on 8/2/24 with a diagnosis of lung cancer with metastasis (cancer spreads to other body systems).
Resident 89's 7/30/24 physician orders revealed Resident 89 was a full code (life sustaining treatment provided if there were no respirations or heart beat).
Vital signs from 8/2/24 to 8/8/24 revealed Resident 89's vital signs were last obtained on 8/7/24 at 2:22 PM. Resident 89's pulse was 81 (normal healthy adult range 60-100) and respirations were 18 breaths per minute (normal healthy adult range 12-18) and blood pressure was not obtained.
Progress Notes revealed the following:
-8/2/24 Resident 89 was admitted to the facility for therapy. Resident 89 was alert to person, place, time, and situation and was able to make her/his needs known. Resident 89 was continent of bowel and bladder and was able to eat independently.
-8/4/24 Resident 89 was able to make her/his needs known.
-8/5/24 Resident 89 was assessed by her/his physician and was assessed to be a full code. Resident 89 reported she/he wanted to get stronger and go home. Resident 89 was assessed to have a normal thought process, was in no distress, and interacted during the exam. Resident 89's abdomen was soft and nontender. Resident 89 was also assessed to have normal range of motion to her/his arms, had weakness to the left ankle, and her/his skin was normal in appearance and temperature. Resident 89 was a candidate for hospice but "prefers to be a full code."
-8/6/24 and 8/7/24 Resident 89 participated with therapy without issue and was alert with some forgetfulness.
-8/8/24 note written at 3:40 AM by Staff 30 (LPN) indicated Resident 89 vomited once, Zofran (treats nausea) was administered, and Resident 89 did not have continued vomiting. Resident 89 was placed on alert charting. There was no documentation of vital signs, characteristics of the vomit, or if the resident's physician was notified.
-8/8/24 note written at 10:09 AM revealed at 6:50 AM Resident 89 was observed by a nurse to be in bed sleeping. At 7:20 AM a CNA summoned the nurse urgently and Resident 89 was found without a pulse or respirations. Staff initiated CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation: chest compressions and manual ventilations), emergency services were notified, and at 8:00 AM Resident 89 was transported to the local hospital.
-8/8/24 note written at 12:13 PM and 12:20 PM by Staff 2 (DNS) revealed she called Staff 34 (CNA) who worked the night shift on 8/8/24 and Staff 34 stated Resident 89 reported nausea and vomited once. The vomit "looked like coffee grounds." The note indicated Staff 34 reported to Staff 30 (LPN) Resident 89 vomited but "nothing else." Staff 34 reported Resident 89 was "a little pale", not acting her/himself, and "maybe a little lethargic." Staff 34 stated on 8/8/24 at 5:15 AM she checked on the resident and Resident 89 was pale and sleeping. The note indicated Staff 34 was educated to inform the nurse of the color and consistency of fluids even if the nurse did not ask. Staff 30, who worked 8/8/24, reported the CNA informed her Resident 89 vomited at about 1:30 AM. Staff 30 stated she assessed the resident, the resident was able to talk, was able to report nausea, had "good color" and no other signs or symptoms.
On 10/08/24 at 12:41 PM Staff 34 stated prior to 8/7/24 Resident 89 was usually very talkative and engaged when she provided care. On 8/7/24 at approximately 11:00 PM Resident 89 was clammy, tired, and did not talk much. Staff 34 stated she requested Staff 30 check on Resident 89. Staff 34 stated she was not sure if Staff 30 checked on Resident 89 because Staff 34 was busy caring for other residents. Staff 34 stated at approximately 1:00 AM, when she next checked on Resident 89, she found the resident with vomit coming out of her/his mouth and on her/his gown, the resident was incontinent of a large bowel movement, and she/he did not respond very much. Staff 34 stated she notified Staff 30. Staff 34 also stated she told Staff 30 Resident 89 had coffee ground vomit. Staff 34 indicated she was in the room with Resident 89 for about 10 minutes providing care after she notified the nurse and the nurse did not come into the room. Staff 34 stated she was not sure when Staff 30 checked on the resident. Staff 34 stated she did not obtain vital signs and the next time she saw Resident 89 was at about 5:15 AM and she/he was breathing but was still pale and clammy.
On 10/8/24 at 1:21 PM Staff 33 (Nurse Practitioner) stated if a resident was a full code, no matter their medical condition, staff needed to treat a resident's change of condition. If a resident had coffee ground vomit and a medical provider was not on site to assess the resident, staff were to send the resident out to the hospital because staff were limited in the interventions they would be able to provide at the facility.
On 10/8/24 at 2:00 PM Staff 35 (Physician) stated if a resident had coffee ground vomit and was stable the facility could monitor the resident in the facility. Monitoring would include vital signs. Staff 35 stated if a resident had a change in mental status, was pale and clammy, in addition to the coffee ground vomit, the resident would not be stable, the physician should be notified for guidance, and the resident should be sent to the hospital for evaluation.
On 10/8/24 at 3:55 PM Staff 30 stated she did not recall Resident 89, but stated if a resident had coffee ground vomit the resident should be sent to the hospital because it could indicate internal bleeding. Staff 30 also stated if a resident's physician was called to obtain orders a note should be made in the progress notes regarding the resident's condition which required communication with the physician.
On 10/8/24 at 12:01 PM and 3:58 PM Staff 2 (DNS) stated when she walked into the building on 8/8/24 staff were already performing CPR on Resident 89. Staff 2 stated she spoke to staff who worked the night shift and the day shift nurse who found Resident 89 without pulse or respirations. The day nurse stated Staff 30 reported the resident had nausea, vomiting, and nothing else. Staff 30 stated the resident was nauseated, she gave Zofran and it helped. Staff 2 stated Staff 30 reported she did not evaluate or see the vomit. Staff 2 indicated she called Staff 34, asked about the vomit, and she stated "you won't believe it, but it looked just like coffee grounds." Staff 2 stated she educated the Staff 34 to always describe to the nurse what the vomit looked like. Staff 2 also educated Staff 30 to always do more of an assessment and ask what the vomit looked like. Staff 2 acknowledged on 8/8/24 at approximately 1:00 AM Resident 89 was administered Zofran and the resident was found without a pulse or respirations at about 7:00 AM. Staff 2 verified there were no vital signs obtained on 8/8/24 and there was no assessment of the resident and resident's vomit. Staff 2 stated Staff 30 reported she did an assessment but did not document it. Staff 2 confirmed on 8/8/24 at approximately 11:40 AM Resident 89 died at the hospital.
On 10/9/24 at 10:18 AM Staff 2 (Administrator) was notified of the immediate jeopardy (IJ) situation and was provided the IJ template related to the facility failure to assess, monitor, and document a resident's significant change of condition. As a result of the deficient practice, treatment was delayed for Resident 89.
On 10/9/24 at 3:27 PM, an acceptable facility IJ removal plan was submitted by the facility. The plan indicated the facility would implement the following:
-On 10/9/24 a review of other residents' change of condition, over the past week that may be affected, was completed by the DNS and designated staff. Other residents identified with a change of condition were to have assessments completed by the end of the day and residents' primary care physicians would be notified as appropriate.
-Education for the Nurse and CNA was completed by the assistant DNS after the incident on 8/8/24.
Further education would be completed on 10/9/24 with every employee (clinical, administrative, social service, activities, housekeeping, dietary and maintenance) to communicate changes in condition. Employees not on shift would be trained prior to starting shift with review of policy and procedure , then signing off on understanding and implementation. Once notified of a change of condition, the nurse would document, complete an assessment that day, and notify the primary care physician as appropriate.
- Performance Improvement Project for change of condition would be initiated by the DNS or designee to audit 1.) Resident change of condition and 2.) Nurse assessments were completed the day of reported change of condition. The audits would be conducted weekly for one month, then twice a month for two months, and randomly thereafter. Results would be shared with Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement committee until substantial compliance was achieved.
Additional documentation was later provided to show additional staff were educated about reporting changes of condition by staff 2 during huddles on 8/8/24, 8/9/24, 8/13/24 and 8/15/24, thereby removing the immediate jepordy on 8/15/24.
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2. Resident 38 was admitted to the facility in 7/2021 with diagnoses including hypertension (a condition where the pressure of blood in the blood vessels is consistently too high), coronary artery disease (heart disease) and peripheral vascular disease (a circulatory condition that occurs when blood vessels outside of the brain and heart narrow, spasm or become blocked).
Resident 28's 6/30/24 Annual MDS revealed the resident was cognitively intact and received a diuretic (a medication used to treat fluid retention [edema] and swelling caused by congestive heart failure, liver disease, kidney disease and other medical conditions). The Dehydration/Fluid Maintenance CAA indicated the resident had adequate fluid intake and did not appear dehydrated. In response to the question in the CAA which asked whether or not dehydration/fluid maintenance would be addressed in the resident's care plan, "not assessed" was checked.
A review of Resident 38's weights revealed the following:
-On 8/9/24 the resident weighed 154.5 pounds.
-On 9/11/24 the resident weighed 163.4 pounds. This represented an 8.9 pound weight gain from her/his weight on 8/9/24.
-On 10/8/24 the resident weighed 171.5 pounds. This represented an 8.1 pound weight gain from her/his weight on 9/11/24 and a 17 pound weight gain from her/his weight on 8/9/24.
Resident 38's 9/10/24 Physician Progress Note indicated the resident experienced brawny edema (a type of edema that does not indent when pressure is applied, unlike pitting edema, when a swollen part of your body has a dimple [or pit] after you press it for a few seconds) of her/his lower legs.
A 10/9/24 Physician's Order directed Resident 38 to receive furosemide (a diuretic) one time daily for edema.
No evidence was found in Resident 38's clinical record to indicate the resident's weight gains had been reported to the resident's physician or the underlying cause of the weight gain had been assessed, any systems were in place to monitor changes in the resident's edema or the potential for fluid overload (indicative of too much water in a person's body which can raise blood pressure and force the heart to work harder) had been assessed.
On 10/11/24 at 12:24 PM Staff 2 (DNS) stated Resident 38's edema was not being monitored and should be and she did not know if Resident 38's physician had been notified of the resident's weight gains.
On 10/11/24 at 12:52 PM Resident 38 was observed in her/his room in bed. Staff 40 (RN) removed the resident's socks in order to assess her/his legs and feet. An indent in each of the resident's legs was observed once the socks were removed. When Staff 40 pushed on the resident's ankles, she/he yelled out and stated Staff 40 was hurting her/him. Staff 40 stated the resident's ankles were a "plus 1" for edema (a barely visible dent that immediately rebounded after pressure was applied) but the top of her/his feet were a "plus 2" (a slight pit that went away within 15 seconds). Staff 40 stated the resident did not have scheduled monitoring for her/his edema, the top of her/his foot was "not normally like that," the change in swelling was not reported to her and the physician had not been notified of this change.
On 10/11/24 at 2:03 PM Staff 41 (Agency RN) stated she was the charge nurse for day shift and was responsible for Resident 38's care. Staff 41 stated she did not receive any reports of Resident 38's edema.
On 10/11/24 at 3:05 PM Staff 2 acknowledged the findings and provided no additional information.
Plan of Correction:
Corrective Actions
Education for the Nurse and CNA was completed by the ADNS immediately after the incident on 8/8/2024. Licensed nurses and nursing assistants were educated regarding the importance of recognizing changes of condition then communicating all details to the nurse assigned to the resident. The licensed nurses were educated regarding the importance of documenting all information shared by the nursing assistances or other nurses, contacting the primary care physician, and any new orders received, and updating the resident care plan as appropriate. Education sessions were completed on 08/09/24, 08/13/24, and 08/15/24.
On 10/09/2024, DNS spoke with charge nurses and reviewed alert charting for all current residents change of condition that may be affected from 10/07/2024 to 10/09/2024. On 10/11/24 Resident 38 had an order placed to monitor BLE for increased edema every shift and the nurse notified PCP related to weight gain and increased edema.
Identification of Other Individuals
The alert charting for all current residents was reviewed on 10/09/24 to identify any change of condition. Residents identified as experiencing a change of condition were assessed and the primary care provider was notified. Any new orders received were carried out.
Systemic Changes and Education
Upon receiving information regarding a resident change of condition, the licensed nurse will complete a timely assessment and notify the primary care physician. The licensed nurse will document what was communicated to the nurse from staff, assessment findings, notification to the primary care provider (as applicable), any new orders received, and notification to the resident representative as appropriate.
The DNS or Designee will review the 24-hour report during morning meeting to identify in potential resident changes of condition to validate that the appropriate orders, interventions, and documentation is present. Any variances will be addressed at the time of identification and the residents status will be reviewed at the afternoon Stand Down meeting.
Clinical, administrative, social services, activities, housekeeping, dietary and maintenance were educated on the importance of communicating changes of condition to the licensed nurses. This education was completed on 10/09/24.
Any staff not on shift received the education via COVR text with Change of Condition attachment on 10/09/24. Unscheduled staff will respond Yes to DNS or designee for reading the training.
All new agency and new employees will have the Change of Condition training as part of orientation process. Once notified of a change of condition, the Nurse will document, complete an assessment timely, and notification of PCP, as appropriate.
Monitoring
The DNS or Designee will review the 24-hour report to identify any potential resident changes of condition and validate that the appropriate orders, interventions, and documentation is present 5x/week x2 weeks, 3x/week x2 weeks, weekly x4 weeks, then every other week x4 weeks or until substantial compliance is determined by the QAPI Committee.
Effective Date of Compliance
11/30/24