By Malcolm Fraser, MD, Medical Affairs Advisor
Here at BHS we want to help the facilities that we serve succeed in general, not only with Psych services. Therefore a regular feature in XXX will be a Survey Update. Survey Updates tend to be released by the Feds every 6 months. The last update was released on December 4, 2024 and covered the 6 months up to November 30, 2024.
As of November 2024 the most common nursing home citations are:
1. Infection Prevention and Control (F880): Persistent issues with infection control practices, including improper use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and inadequate hand hygiene. politico.com+1proactiveltcexperts.com+1politico.com+1
2. Accidents (F689): Inadequate supervision and failure to prevent avoidable accidents, such as falls and injuries. proactiveltcexperts.com
3. Food Procurement, Storage, Preparation, and Service (F812): Deficiencies in food storage, preparation, or sanitation protocols. proactiveltcexperts.com
4. Quality of Care (F684): Shortcomings in addressing residents’ physical, mental, and psychosocial well-being. proactiveltcexperts.com
5. Comprehensive Care Plans (F656): Failure to keep care plans current or fully detailed. justiceinaging.org+1proactiveltcexperts.com+1justiceinaging.org+1
6. Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) Care (F677): Inconsistent assistance with bathing, grooming, or dressing. proactiveltcexperts.com
7. Resident Rights (F550): Deficiencies in respecting residents’ dignity, privacy, and personal choices. proactiveltcexperts.com
8. Labeling and Storage of Drugs and Biologicals (F761): Issues with proper labeling and storage of medications.
You will notice that F684 covers Quality of Care including Psychosocial wellbeing. Here at BHS we stand out because under the Leadership of our Chief Medical Officer – James Mauldin MD – we have a team of Board- Certified Psychiatrists ready to support our partner facilities. Many Psych services companies have a “Chief Clinical Officer” who is NOT even a Medical Doctor let alone a Board-Certified Psychiatrist. We will continue to keep you updated regarding Survey trends. When/if the new Guidance to Surveyors comes into effect, we expect to see a significant increase in Tags related to Psycho-social well-being but here at BHS, we are well poised to be proactive and help our partner facilities avoid them.