Mercyone Waterloo Home Health Care

The agency failed to ensure the development of a written policy and procedure to inform State and local officials of any on duty staff and patients they are unable to contact in the event of an interruption of services related to an emergency.

The agency failed to ensure staff provided care in accordance with accepted infection control standards of practice observed during a home visit for 1 of 5 sampled patients (Patient #2) with home visit observations.

The agency failed to ensure authentication of staff documentation in each patient's clinical record included the date and time of the employee signature for 1 of 1 sampled patients receiving speech therapy services (Patient #6).

The agency failed to ensure a registered nurse (RN) completed a drug regimen review, reconciled the medications and contacted the physician, if necessary, in therapy only cases for 1 of 1 sampled patients receiving only therapy services (Patient #3).

The agency failed to ensure accurate completion of all required components of the recertification comprehensive assessments with accompanying drug regimen review between day 56 and 60 of each 60 day certification period for 2 of 6 sampled patients requiring an update to the comprehensive assessment…

The agency failed to ensure completion of the update to the comprehensive assessment within 48 hours of the agency's knowledge of return home from an inpatient facility for 2 of 2 sampled patients requiring a resumption of care assessment (Patient #6 and #7).

The agency failed to ensure completion of the discharge comprehensive assessments within 2 calendar days of identification of the need to discharge a patient for 1 of 3 sampled patients requiring a discharge comprehensive assessment (Patient #12).

The agency failed to ensure the accurate completion of all components comprising the Plan of Care, including all supplies/equipment used by the patient and accurate medication/treatment orders for 7 of 11 sampled patients (Patients #1, #2, #3, #7, #8, #9 and #12).

The agency failed to maintain a working Plan of Care for patients and update the working Plans of Care with any new verbal/interim physician orders for 9 of 9 sampled patients with new verbal/interim orders.

The agency failed to obtain physician orders for medications, services and treatments and provide services following such orders for 4 of 11 sampled patients (Patients #3, #8, #10 and #12).

The agency failed to report changes in patient clinical findings or changes in patient needs to the physician for 2 of 11 sampled patients (Patients #7 and #11).

The agency failed to ensure home health aides provided care to agency patients as ordered by the physician, permitted under state law and/or as directed by the skilled professional assigning the home health aide to the patient for 2 of 4 sampled patients receiving home health aide services…

The agency failed to send a transfer summary to the physician and other health care professionals who would be providing care to the patient within 2 business days of a planned transfer or of becoming aware of an unplanned transfer for 1 of 2 sampled patients with a transfer where a summary should…

6. Patient #1 had a start of care date of 2/27/13. The clinical record lacked documentation of an individualized emergency plan completed as part of the Recertification comprehensive assessments, dated 3/28, 5/30 and 7/26/18. On 9/19/18 at 10:38 AM, Staff B and Staff C, Clinical Manager, received…

The agency failed to ensure the development of a procedure to inform State and local officials of homebound patients in need of evacuation due to an emergency situation.

The agency failed to ensure staff provided care in accordance with agency expectations and accepted infection control standards of practice for 1 of 5 patients (Patient #1) with home visit observations.

The agency failed to provide agency patients with contact information for the agency's administrator which included the administrator's name, business address and business phone number.

The agency failed to complete a drug regimen review, including all required components, with each comprehensive assessment for 3 of 13 sampled patients (Patients # 3, #8 and #11).

The agency failed to ensure the accurate completion of all components comprising the Plan of Care and/ or failed to ensure the Plan of Care contained current, accurate information for 5 of 13 sampled patients (Patients #1, #2, #8, #9 and #10).

The agency failed to provide to the patients a visit schedule, including frequency of visits, and a copy of the plan of care for 2 of 4 sampled patients with home visit observations (Patients #3 and #4).