Failure to Honor Resident Choice of Medical Transportation Provider
Summary
The deficiency involves the facility’s failure to honor residents’ rights to self-determination and choice regarding transportation providers for offsite medical appointments, particularly dialysis. One resident with type II diabetes, heart failure, glaucoma, COPD, and end stage renal disease, who had a BIMS score of 11 indicating moderate cognitive impairment, was care planned to receive dialysis three times a week with transportation by Medical Transportation A. This resident stated she told two staff members she wanted to use Medical Transportation B instead, but was told no and informed that Medical Transportation B could not come on the premises. She reported there was nothing wrong with Medical Transportation A, but expressed a preference for Medical Transportation B because of familiarity. Another resident with cerebral infarction, dysphagia, and end stage renal disease, who had documented communication problems with impaired ability to make self-understood and to understand others, also received dialysis three times a week offsite. His family member, listed as emergency contact and responsible party, reported that he had used Medical Transportation B when at home and requested that the facility use Medical Transportation B for dialysis transport. The DON documented a conversation with this family member, assuring her that the facility had arranged safe and reliable stretcher transportation through Medical Transportation A and reiterating that transportation was already set up. The family member stated she was told Medical Transportation A had a contract with the facility, that there was no contract with Medical Transportation B, and that Medical Transportation B was not allowed in the facility, leaving her feeling she had no choice in the matter. A third resident, with traumatic amputation of the left lower leg, encephalopathy, end stage renal disease, type II diabetes, and COPD, was also care planned to receive dialysis three times a week with transportation by Medical Transportation A and had impaired cognitive function or thought processes. His care plan included interventions to communicate with the resident, family, and caregivers regarding his capabilities and needs, and to keep his routine and caregivers as consistent as possible. His family member and healthcare power of attorney stated they preferred to use Medical Transportation B, which had transported him three times a week for years when he lived at home, and asked staff to call Medical Transportation B for his appointments. She reported being told that Medical Transportation B was not allowed to come into the facility because the parent company would not allow it. The Administrator of Medical Transportation B confirmed that whenever their patients were placed at this facility, they were not allowed to provide transportation and that the facility Administrator and DON had told her they only used Medical Transportation A. Facility education materials and the Resident Admission Agreement referenced resident rights and resident/responsible party responsibility for arranging transportation, but the facility’s practice limited residents’ and families’ ability to choose their preferred transportation provider.
Penalty
Resources
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Failure to Offer Choice of Hospice Provider: The facility did not ensure that 3 residents receiving hospice services were offered a choice of hospice provider. Medical record review showed no evidence that the residents were given provider choice, and an RCD confirmed that prior to the operator transition, hospice residents were not given a choice. The facility's Resident Rights policy states residents have the right to choose health care and providers of health care services.
Failure to honor a resident’s request for nail care. A resident with dementia, renal insufficiency, HTN, and depression had long fingernails beyond the fingertips and stated staff had not trimmed them despite repeated requests. Staff said nail care was usually done on shower days, but also stated that if a resident asked for nail trimming, an NA, wellness staff, or an LPN/RN could complete it and the resident should not have to wait until the next bath day.
A resident with MS, neuromuscular dysfunction of the bladder, and quadriplegia was cognitively intact and dependent on staff for ADLs, with a care plan preference not to be gotten up into a w/c until after 11:00 a.m. The resident stated staff repeatedly dressed and transferred the resident earlier than requested, and during observation the resident was already dressed and seated in an electric w/c after being gotten up at 9:30 a.m. A NA said she did not reference the care guide for the resident's preferred time, while the DON stated staff were expected to honor the preference and that it should have been listed on the daily NAR guide.
A resident with dementia, anxiety, and depression had a family-requested staffing preference that a specific CNA not provide care due to a prior skin-care concern. Although an LN, the DSD, and the DON were aware of this request, it was not documented in the resident’s care plan or on the unit’s patient preference list. As a result, staffing assignments placed the restricted CNA on the resident’s hall, and documentation showed that this CNA provided incontinent care to the resident, contrary to the expressed preference and facility policies on accommodation of needs and dignity.
A resident who was cognitively intact stated he wanted 3 showers weekly but was receiving showers only 2 times per week. Records showed his bathing preference was documented on admission, yet bathing logs from several weeks reflected only twice-weekly showers. The VP of Risk Mgmt confirmed the resident was receiving showers twice weekly, despite the resident's stated preference and the facility policy supporting resident choice.
A cognitively intact resident with significant ADL needs and a long-standing preference for Tuesday and Thursday morning showers had his shower schedule moved from first shift to second shift when new ownership and a new DON implemented a building-wide shower schedule to improve structure and workflow. The DON made this change without consulting residents about their preferences. After the change, the resident repeatedly told multiple staff he wanted his original first-shift shower times restored, but staff told him the schedule could not be changed. A nurse and a NA confirmed the resident’s prior first-shift schedule and his ongoing requests, and the family member reported that his requests had gone unaddressed for months. Although the DON acknowledged the concern and delegated a review of the shower schedule to a UM, the UM was not specifically informed of this resident’s request and did not start reevaluating the schedule, resulting in the resident’s expressed choice for shower time not being honored.
Failure to Offer Choice of Hospice Provider
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure residents' right to choose their health care providers for 3 of 12 sampled residents reviewed for hospice services. Resident #26 began receiving hospice services on 1/2/26, resident #83 began receiving hospice services on 1/21/26, and resident #84 began receiving hospice services on 2/5/26, but the medical record review showed no evidence that any of these residents were offered a choice in hospice provider. During an interview on 5/6/26 at 12:44 PM, the regional clinical director confirmed that prior to the operator transition, residents on hospice were not given a choice for hospice provider. The facility's Resident Rights policy, last revised on 6/10/25, states that the resident has the right to choose health care and providers of health care services consistent with his or her interests, assessments, and plan of care.
Failure to Honor Resident Request for Nail Care
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to honor a resident’s preference for nail care and did not ensure the resident’s nails were trimmed when requested. The resident had an annual MDS assessment showing moderate cognitive impairment and diagnoses including non-Alzheimer’s dementia, renal insufficiency, hypertension, and depression. The care plan noted limited range of motion in the upper extremities and assistance needs for bathing, showers, grooming, oral care, and dressing. Progress notes showed the resident’s last shower on 4/3/26, but nail care was not addressed in the notes. During observation, the resident was seated in a wheelchair with long fingernails extending beyond the fingertips and stated the nails were too long and that staff had not trimmed them despite requests. A nail clipper was kept on the bedside table because the resident wanted the nails trimmed. On later interviews, the resident again stated the nails had not yet been trimmed and that it bothered them. Staff interviews showed nail care was typically done on shower days, but multiple staff members stated that if a resident requested nail trimming, either nursing assistants, wellness staff, or the nurse could do it, and the DON stated residents should not have to wait until the next bath day for nail trimming.
Failure to Honor Resident Preference for Morning Care Timing
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to honor a resident's right to make choices about aspects of care for 1 of 2 residents reviewed for self-determination. The resident was cognitively intact per the comprehensive MDS, had clear speech, could make self understood, and could understand others. The resident's diagnoses included multiple sclerosis, neuromuscular dysfunction of the bladder, and quadriplegia, and the resident was dependent on staff for ADLs. The care plan indicated the resident required assistance of two with Hoyer transfers, assistance of one with ADLs, and that the resident should not be gotten up into a wheelchair until after 11:00 a.m. per preference. During interview, the resident stated that several times requested to get up after 11:00 a.m. but staff consistently dressed and transferred the resident to the wheelchair earlier in the morning. The resident became tearful and stated, "makes me feel I'm in the land of misfit toys." During observation, the resident was dressed and seated in an electric wheelchair, and the bed was made; the resident stated two aides got the resident up at 9:30 a.m. and basically said it was "now or never." A NA stated the care guides indicated resident preferences and care needs, but did not usually work with the resident and did not reference the care guide for the resident's preferred time request. The DON stated the care plan reflected the resident's preference not to get up until 11:00 a.m. and expected staff to honor it, and stated the preference should have been listed on the daily NAR guide. The resident's NAR guide stated, "Don't get up the pt before 11 AM."
Failure to Honor Resident Staffing Preference for CNA Assignment
Penalty
Summary
The deficiency involves the facility’s failure to honor a resident’s known staffing preference regarding which CNA should provide care. Resident 1, who had dementia, anxiety, and depression, had a family request made in December 2025 that CNA 1 not provide care to the resident due to concerns related to a prior care encounter involving a skin issue. During interviews and record reviews, LN 1 stated that CNA 1 was not to care for this resident per the family’s request. However, the facility’s [nurses’ station] Patient Preferences document, updated as of 3/11/26, only indicated that the resident preferred CNA 2 when she was present and did not indicate that CNA 1 was restricted from providing care. Further review showed that Resident 1’s comprehensive care plan, last reviewed on 4/22/26, did not reflect the family’s staffing request and lacked interventions to communicate this preference to direct care staff. The Nursing Staffing Assignment and Sign-in Sheet for 4/12/26 showed CNA 1 was assigned to the unit including the resident’s room, and incontinent care documentation for that date showed CNA 1 provided care to the resident. The DSD confirmed the family’s request via text message that CNA 1 not provide care, acknowledged it was not documented in the Patient Preferences list or care plan, and confirmed CNA 1 did provide care on 4/12/26. The DON also confirmed that the request was not reflected in the care plan or preference list and that CNA 1 provided care, despite facility policies on Accommodation of Needs and Dignity stating that resident needs, choices, and preferences are to be respected and honored to the extent possible.
Resident Bathing Preference Not Followed
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure a resident received showers and bathing according to his preference. During an interview, the resident stated he was receiving showers twice weekly but wanted three showers a week, and he did not remember staff asking him about his shower and bathing preferences. The resident was cognitively intact per a quarterly MDS assessment, and his record showed a bathing preference documented on admission as a bed bath three times weekly. The care plan identified an ADL self-care performance deficit and included staff assistance with showering and bathing. However, bathing documentation from 3/1/26 through 4/16/26 showed the resident was scheduled for and received showers only twice weekly. During interview, the VP of Risk Management confirmed the resident received showers twice weekly and stated that if the resident told the admitting nurse he wanted a shower three times a week, it should have been scheduled accordingly. The facility policy stated residents have a right to make their own schedule.
Failure to Honor Resident’s Established Shower Time Preference
Penalty
Summary
The deficiency involves the facility’s failure to honor a cognitively intact resident’s established choice of shower time after a change in ownership and scheduling. The resident, who had spastic diplegic cerebral palsy, contractures of the right hand and both knees, chronic kidney disease, and required extensive assistance with ADLs including bathing, had long received showers on Tuesdays and Thursdays during first shift (7:00 AM to 3:00 PM). In January 2026, after new owners assumed control, the DON created a new shower schedule that moved the resident’s showers to second shift (3:00 PM to 11:00 PM) without speaking with residents beforehand or assessing their preferences. The written shower schedule at the nurse’s station reflected this change, listing the resident for showers on Tuesdays and Thursdays on second shift. The resident reported that no one informed him in advance that his shower times would be changed and that he was not asked whether he wanted to alter his long-standing schedule. After learning of the change, he repeatedly told multiple staff members that he did not want showers on second shift and wanted his original first-shift schedule restored, but he was told the schedule could not be changed. He stated that this had been ongoing since January and that he found the situation frustrating, as he believed it was his right to have his preference honored. The resident’s family member corroborated that he had been requesting a return to first-shift showers since the schedule change and that his requests were not acted upon. Nursing staff interviews confirmed that the resident had historically received showers on first shift and that the DON changed his shower times in January as part of a new structured schedule. A nurse and a nursing aide both stated that the resident had been asking to have his showers moved back to first shift and that his preferences had been communicated to administrative staff, with the aide reporting she was told by the DON that the time could not be changed. The DON acknowledged she created the new schedule to improve structure and workflow, did not consult residents before making the changes, and later delegated review of the schedule to a unit manager without specifically directing her to address this resident’s request. The unit manager stated she did not begin reevaluating the shower schedule and was not informed that this resident wanted his shower times changed, despite the DON’s awareness of the concern. This sequence of actions and inactions resulted in the facility not honoring the resident’s expressed choice regarding shower time.
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