F0678 F678: Provide basic life support, including CPR, prior to the arrival of emergency medical personnel , subject to physician orders and the resident’s advance directives.
J

Failure to Assess Change in Condition, Call 911, and Document Code Status for Newly Admitted Resident

Miller Health Care CenterKankakee, Illinois Survey Completed on 02-10-2026

Summary

The deficiency involves the facility’s failure to promptly assess a resident when a CNA was unable to obtain vital signs and the failure to ensure the resident’s code status was documented and available in the medical record. Around 6:30 AM, a CNA informed an agency RN that she could not obtain a blood pressure or heart rate for the resident. The agency RN stated she continued passing morning medications to other residents and did not immediately assess the resident. Approximately an hour later, around 7:45 AM, the agency RN went to administer medications to the resident, found the resident unresponsive, and was unable to obtain vital signs or detect a heartbeat with a stethoscope. After finding the resident unresponsive, the agency RN left the bedside to locate another RN working on a different hall and told her she thought the resident had expired and that the resident was DNR. The second RN went to the resident’s room, observed the resident to be pale with bluish lips but still warm, and confirmed there was no heartbeat or carotid pulse. She was then called away to attend to her own residents and left the unresponsive resident. Around 8:00 AM, the Social Service Director walked past the resident’s room, saw the resident slumped to the side in bed with staff present, and heard that staff could not obtain vital signs. He then asked a Respiratory Therapist to check the resident’s code status in the electronic record. The Respiratory Therapist found no code status orders in the chart, went to the room, assessed that the resident was not breathing and had no pulse, and initiated chest compressions. An LPN/Acting ADON then entered and took over compressions while the Respiratory Therapist applied an AED and began ventilations with a bag-valve mask. During the code response, a Dietary Aide/CNA was called into the room to assist with CPR and completed two rounds of chest compressions. She reported that the Respiratory Therapist and Acting ADON were trying to determine who the resident’s nurse was and why 911 had not been called. The agency RN then entered and stated she had called a universal ambulance transport number and was unsure whether 911 should be called for an unresponsive patient. The Dietary Aide/CNA then called 911 from her personal phone; EMS records show 911 was called at 8:33 AM, with paramedics arriving shortly thereafter and taking over resuscitative efforts until the resident was pronounced deceased. The Assistant EMS Coordinator confirmed that only one 911 call was received for this event, from the Dietary Aide/CNA. The resident had been admitted to the facility approximately 16 hours before the code event with a primary diagnosis of acute respiratory failure with hypoxia. The facility face sheet and physician order sheet contained no advance directive or code status, and there was no documented nursing assessment or vital signs for the resident after admission. The agency RN reported she was the admission nurse and that another LPN had taken the hospital report, which included the resident’s code status, but the agency RN did not remember what that status was and acknowledged it was the admission nurse’s responsibility to enter code status into the electronic record. The Admissions Director later stated that the hospital chart showed the resident was a partial code, with orders for no mechanical ventilation with intubation, selective cardio resuscitation, no chest compressions, and no defibrillation/cardio­version, but this was not discovered until after the resident’s death. The Administrator and DON confirmed that the resident’s code status should be obtained and entered into the system immediately upon admission so staff know how to proceed in an emergency, and that if no code status is present, staff are expected to initiate CPR immediately when a resident is found unresponsive.

Removal Plan

  • Completed an audit of resident code status to ensure all current residents had a code status.
  • Provided education to all nursing staff on code status and emergency response expectations.
  • Ceased any practice of delaying CPR due to verbal assumptions of DNR status.
  • Implemented a directive that all residents will be treated as full code unless a valid physician DNR order is present and accessible in the medical record.
  • Completed a 100% audit of all current resident charts to verify presence of physician code status orders.
  • Completed an audit to ensure DNR status was accurately reflected on nursing shift-to-shift reports and matched the DNR status in the chart.
  • Placed an emergency code status roster at all nurse's stations for rapid access.
  • Updated the change in condition policy to require nursing staff to immediately assess when vital signs cannot be obtained and not delay escalation.
  • Nursing leadership to educate all staff (including agency) on the Do Not Resuscitate Order Policy, CPR Policy, and Change in Resident Condition Policy, and educate remaining staff prior to their next worked shift.
  • Reeducated nursing staff on rooming responsibility for new residents including clinical assessment completion within 2 hours of arrival and completion of a move-in note, with daily auditing by the DON.
  • Implemented an admissions checklist including DNR status to validate patient wishes prior to arrival.
  • Director of Sales and Marketing to audit daily.
  • Implemented an immediate requirement for licensed nurse assessment without delay upon inability to obtain vital signs or change in condition.
  • Reeducated staff that CPR must be initiated unless a physician DNR order is confirmed.
  • Verified all current agency staff have completed the orientation checklist prior to taking an independent patient assignment.
  • Planned a QAPI action plan including audits of admission code status completion upon admission, admission checklist with code status known prior to admission, nursing assessment completion within 2 hours of admission by admitting nurse, nursing completion of move-in note upon admission, agency checklist completion prior to taking a full assignment, and weekly mock CPR code completion on each shift.

Penalty

Inspection fine: $194,230
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.

Resources

Below are regulatory guidelines relevant to this citation:

See other F0678 citations
Failure to Provide Required CPR and Activate EMS for Full Code Resident
J
F0678 F678: Provide basic life support, including CPR, prior to the arrival of emergency medical personnel , subject to physician orders and the resident’s advance directives.
Short Summary

A resident with multiple cardiopulmonary conditions and a documented full code status was found unresponsive without pulse or respirations during the night shift. A CNA notified the RN, who either instructed CNAs to clean and cover the resident or, per her and an LPN’s account, called a code blue and performed CPR with the LPN for about 20 minutes before stopping, without calling 911. The RN believed the resident was on hospice and did not verify code status, then notified the DON, provider, and family instead of EMS. Several hours later, after the DON called the facility and asked whether 911 had been contacted, the RN called 911 and briefly reinitiated CPR shortly before EMS arrived and pronounced the resident deceased, documenting postmortem changes. The facility’s investigation and root cause analysis found that staff failed to follow policy requiring immediate EMS activation and continuous CPR for full code residents until EMS arrival, leading to an Immediate Jeopardy finding.

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 CPR for Resident With Unknown Code Status
J
F0678 F678: Provide basic life support, including CPR, prior to the arrival of emergency medical personnel , subject to physician orders and the resident’s advance directives.
Short Summary

A resident with multiple chronic conditions and severe cognitive impairment was found unresponsive and not breathing, with no documented code status, POLST, or DNR in the medical record. Nursing staff verified the absence of respirations and pulse but did not initiate CPR or call 911. An LPN reported she proposed starting CPR due to the unknown code status, but an RN declined. Leadership and clinical staff stated in interviews that facility practice and expectations are that, when a code status is unknown or no POLST is on file, the resident is to be treated as full code and CPR should be initiated.

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.
Inaccurate Crash Cart Audits and Missing Emergency Equipment
E
F0678 F678: Provide basic life support, including CPR, prior to the arrival of emergency medical personnel , subject to physician orders and the resident’s advance directives.
Short Summary

The facility failed to maintain accurate and complete crash cart audits for multiple full-code residents. Surveyors, accompanied by the DON, found that daily crash cart checks did not include verification of supply expiration dates, and that an extension cord documented as present on several audit dates was not actually in the cart. Audit logs also conflicted with the cart’s contents by indicating that required items such as eye protection, saline, and clear plastic were present when they were not. These findings were inconsistent with the facility’s policy requiring the crash cart to be checked every 24 hours and after each use, with prompt replacement of equipment and supplies.

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 CPR and Contact EMS for Full Code Resident Found Unresponsive
J
F0678 F678: Provide basic life support, including CPR, prior to the arrival of emergency medical personnel , subject to physician orders and the resident’s advance directives.
Short Summary

A resident with NASH, diabetes, ascites, obesity, and a documented Full Code status was found unresponsive during early morning med pass, cool to the touch and without measurable vital signs. Her care plan and orders required staff to call 911 and start CPR and life-saving measures if she had no pulse or respirations, but the LPN and RN who assessed her did not initiate CPR, did not contact EMS, and did not verify her code status in the medical record at the time. The resident had not been checked for several hours overnight despite policies requiring at least q2h rounding for changes in condition. There was no documentation that she had been deceased for an extended period, no report of rigor mortis, and no evidence of any change in condition prior to being found unresponsive, resulting in a cited deficiency for failure to follow code status and emergency response 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 Verify and Honor DNR Status Before Initiating CPR
D
F0678 F678: Provide basic life support, including CPR, prior to the arrival of emergency medical personnel , subject to physician orders and the resident’s advance directives.
Short Summary

A resident with documented dementia, depression, coronary artery disease, and a clearly established DNR/DNI status on the care plan, orders, and MOLST was found unresponsive in the bathroom without pulse or respirations. An LPN, notified by a CNA, initiated CPR without checking the resident’s code status in the paper chart or EMR. When the RN supervisor arrived and asked about code status, the LPN incorrectly reported the resident as full code, and another RN assisted with chest compressions without verifying code status. Staff experienced confusion and delay locating the MOLST and paper chart, and EMS requested confirmation of the resident’s code status. The MOLST ultimately confirmed DNR/DNI, but CPR had already been performed until EMS consulted their provider and stopped the code, after which the resident was pronounced deceased.

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 Timely and Complete CPR to a Full Code Resident
J
F0678 F678: Provide basic life support, including CPR, prior to the arrival of emergency medical personnel , subject to physician orders and the resident’s advance directives.
Short Summary

A resident with multiple cardiac and renal conditions and a documented Full Code status was found unresponsive and not breathing by a transportation aide, who immediately sought help from an LPN and the assigned RN. The LPN refused to assist, stating it was not their resident, and the RN twice delayed responding despite being told it was an emergency, leading to a reported five- to ten-minute delay before any nurse entered the room. An LPN from another unit eventually initiated chest compressions, and other nurses joined, but no artificial respirations were provided at any time, even though the resident was apneic and an Ambu bag was available. This response did not follow the facility’s CPR policy or AHA guidelines for trained healthcare providers, which require full BLS with both compressions and rescue breaths for a Full Code resident prior to EMS arrival, and the situation was cited as Immediate Jeopardy with actual serious harm and subsequent death.

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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