F0740 F740: Ensure each resident must receive and the facility must provide necessary behavioral health care and services.
D

Failure to Provide Behavioral Health Services

Fulton Commons Care Center IncEast Meadow, New York Survey Completed on 12-23-2024

Summary

The facility failed to provide necessary behavioral health care and services to a resident, identified as Resident #93, during a recertification survey. Resident #93, who has diagnoses including Schizophrenia, Anxiety Disorder, and Depression, expressed feelings of being down, depressed, and hopeless to the social worker. Despite a psychiatrist's recommendation for behavior therapy or counseling, these services were not offered. The resident's comprehensive assessment and plan of care required such interventions, but there was no documented evidence of a referral for these services. The facility's Consultation Policy and Procedure required that a physician approve or document disagreement with any consultant's recommendations. However, the Nurse Practitioner reviewing the psychiatrist's recommendations did not document agreement or disagreement, nor were any physician's orders for behavior therapy or counseling entered into the resident's medical record. The social worker reported the resident's mood to the nursing staff but did not document this communication or ensure follow-up for obtaining a physician's order for counseling services. Interviews with facility staff revealed a lack of communication and follow-through regarding the psychiatrist's recommendations. The social worker did not document their communication with the nursing staff, and the Director of Social Services acknowledged the need for documentation and follow-up. The Nurse Practitioner, who was a remote provider, stated they were instructed not to write physician orders, leaving the responsibility to in-house medical providers. The resident's primary physician was unaware of the psychiatrist's recommendations, and the medical director emphasized the need for documentation of agreement or disagreement with consultant recommendations. The resident expressed a desire for psychological services, which they had received in a previous group home setting.

Plan Of Correction

Plan of Correction: Approved January 17, 2025 **NOTE- TERMS IN BRACKETS HAVE BEEN EDITED TO PROTECT CONFIDENTIALITY** **F 740 – Behavioral Health Services** The following plan of correction is submitted in accordance with applicable law and regulation and for continued Medicare/Medicaid certification and does not constitute an admission of fault on the part of the facility. A) Immediate Corrective Action for Resident found to be affected by the deficient practice: a) Resident #93 was seen by the Psychologist on 12/18/2024 to address his feelings of hopelessness and Depression. b) The Attending Physician re-addressed the Psychiatrist’s recommendations dated 10/22/2024 by placing an order for [REDACTED]. c) Resident #93 – The assigned Social Worker addressed the Resident’s feelings of hopelessness and reports of feeling depressed by providing emotional support on 01/13/2025. d) The Social Worker who failed to provide emotional support to Resident #93 and failed to ensure the Resident received Psychology services as recommended by the Psychiatrist received educational disciplinary action on 01/13/2025. B) Identification of other Residents having the potential to be affected by the deficient practice: The Medical Director will be responsible for conducting an audit of all recommendations made by the Psychiatrist for the past 6 months, to ensure that all recommendations made are reviewed and implemented if applicable; or that there is documented evidence if the physician disagreed with the recommendation. Any negative findings will be immediately corrected. The Director of Social Work/Designee will be responsible for conducting an audit of all recommendations made by the Psychiatrist for the months of (MONTH) through (MONTH) 2024, to ensure that all recommendations made are reviewed and implemented if applicable by the assigned Social Worker. Any negative findings will be immediately corrected. Persons responsible: Medical Director & Director of Social Work C) Systemic Changes to ensure the deficient practice will not recur: e) The policy and procedure titled “Consultation” was reviewed and found to be in compliance. f) All onsite and offsite attending medical providers will be re-educated on the procedure of: a. Documenting their agreement with a consultant’s recommendation and implementing the physician’s order; or b. Documenting their disagreement and documenting the reason for disagreement. Person responsible: Medical Director g) All Social Workers will be re-educated on the following: a. Residents identified with signs and symptoms of Depression will receive documented emotional support and will be referred to the Psychiatrist and Psychologist for follow up. h) Education will be verified by posttests or return demonstration to ensure education retention. Person responsible: Staff Educator D) QA – Monitor of the deficient practice: The Medical Director will have the responsibility of auditing 10% of Psychiatry consultations monthly to ensure there is documented evidence of the attending physician addressing any recommendations made. Any negative findings will be immediately corrected and reported to the QAPI committee. This audit will be completed monthly x 6 months. The Medical Director is responsible for the correction of this deficiency. The Director of Social Work will have the responsibility of auditing 10% of Residents scheduled weekly for care plan meeting, to ensure that any resident identified as having signs and symptoms of Depression on the MDS 3.0 is having same addressed by the unit assigned Social Worker. Any negative findings will be immediately corrected and reported to the QAPI committee. This audit will be completed weekly x 3 months, then monthly x 3 months. The Director of Social Work is responsible for the correction of this deficiency. Date of correction: 02/18/2025

Penalty

No penalty information released
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The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.

Resources

Below are regulatory guidelines relevant to this citation:

See other F0740 citations
Failure to Implement Psychiatric Recommendations and Update Behavior Care Plan Leading to Resident Altercation
G
F0740 F740: Ensure each resident must receive and the facility must provide necessary behavioral health care and services.
Short Summary

A resident with impulse disorder, mood and anxiety diagnoses, and a history of escalating verbal and physical aggression had multiple documented incidents of threats, object throwing, and assault with a cane. Despite a psychiatric consult recommending PRN trazodone for agitation, anxiety, and insomnia, the provider order listed insomnia only, and the care plan was not updated with specific interventions to address the resident’s physically aggressive behaviors after several documented events. Subsequently, the resident struck another resident with a cane, causing a facial laceration that required wound closure and ongoing treatment.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
Failure to Implement Behavior Monitoring for Exit-Seeking Resident
D
F0740 F740: Ensure each resident must receive and the facility must provide necessary behavioral health care and services.
Short Summary

A resident with a history of cerebral infarction and cognitive communication deficit was care planned as being at risk for elopement due to confusion, inability to express needs, and repeated statements about wanting to leave and go home. Interdisciplinary documentation described a consistent pattern of exit-seeking behaviors, including leaving on LOA with a family friend and not returning until the next day, requiring EMS assistance and hospital evaluation upon return, and later being found off facility grounds along a roadside. Despite these ongoing behaviors and the facility’s written Behavior Management Program requiring monitoring forms for residents with problematic behaviors, the clinical record contained no behavior tracking or monitoring specific to the resident’s exit-seeking behaviors, and staff acknowledged that such monitoring should have been in place.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
Failure to Initiate Behavioral Health Response During Verbal Escalation Leading to Resident Assault
D
F0740 F740: Ensure each resident must receive and the facility must provide necessary behavioral health care and services.
Short Summary

A resident with schizophrenia, anxiety, and depression, who had a history of negative behaviors and identified triggers such as rude or "mouthy" people, became involved in a verbal argument with another cognitively intact resident in a dining area. Staff present were aware of this resident’s triggers and care-planned coping strategies but only reminded the other resident not to throw a drink and did not initiate the facility’s behavioral health response (Code [NAME]) or actively use non-pharmacological interventions at the start of the escalation. After repeated verbal warnings, the second resident threw a drink, prompting the first resident to get up and repeatedly strike the other in the face, causing visible bruising to the nose and forehead before staff separated them and called a Code [NAME].

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
Failure to Provide Behavioral Health Services for Residents With Self-Harm and Aggressive Behaviors
J
F0740 F740: Ensure each resident must receive and the facility must provide necessary behavioral health care and services.
Short Summary

The facility failed to provide necessary behavioral health care and services for two residents with known self-harm and aggressive behaviors. One resident with quadriplegia, depression, anxiety, and a documented history of self-mutilation by finger biting had repeated episodes of biting his/her fingers to the point of severe lacerations, bone exposure, and eventual amputation, often linked to frustration and delayed smoking. Despite multiple hospitalizations and clear documentation of chronic self-harm and disruptive behavior, the care plan initially lacked self-injury interventions, no specific safety plan or intensive/1:1 monitoring was implemented, and there was no documented ongoing notification of psychiatry or the primary physician about escalating behaviors. Staff interviews showed that many staff knew of the resident’s chronic self-mutilation and verbal aggression but were unaware of any special interventions or monitoring requirements, and the resident was left alone in the room, hall, and on the patio, where another finger was bitten off. Another resident with aggressive behavior and repeated pulling of the fire alarm also lacked documented individualized behavioral interventions or psychiatric follow-up, contrary to the facility’s own Behavioral Emergency and Intensive Monitoring policies.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
Failure to Provide Trauma Evaluations and Effective Behavioral Health Interventions
E
F0740 F740: Ensure each resident must receive and the facility must provide necessary behavioral health care and services.
Short Summary

The facility failed to provide necessary behavioral health services, including trauma evaluations and meaningful interventions, for several residents involved in physical altercations and with significant psychiatric histories. After two residents were physically assaulted by roommates and sustained injuries, psychiatric providers were notified but did not document trauma-focused evaluations or address contributing behaviors such as wandering. Two other residents with schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, violent behavior, and documented noncompliance with psychotropic medications were involved in repeated aggressive incidents toward peers and staff, yet records showed only routine refusals of medication without evidence of effective, individualized behavioral interventions. The facility acknowledged a high-behavior population and a pattern of resident altercations, along with dissatisfaction with the psychiatric NP’s limited and delayed evaluations.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
Failure to Provide Behavioral Health Services for Depressed Resident Leading to Suicide Attempt
D
F0740 F740: Ensure each resident must receive and the facility must provide necessary behavioral health care and services.
Short Summary

A resident with major depressive disorder, anxiety, and multiple psychotropic medications had documented moderately severe depression on PHQ-9 and MDS assessments, along with care plans that listed psychiatrist consults and social services visits only "as indicated." Although the resident had signed consent for psychological services and family sent a text to the social worker reporting that the resident was very depressed, talking about making very bad decisions, and requesting therapy, no referral was made and there is no evidence the resident was ever seen by behavioral health providers. In the weeks before the event, the resident reported increased anxiety and received PRN Hydroxyzine on multiple days without clear documentation of the indication, and no behaviors were charted. The situation culminated when the resident ingested antifreeze in an apparent suicide attempt, telling staff he did not want to be alive anymore, demonstrating the facility’s failure to provide necessary behavioral health care and services.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
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