A Stamford nursing home has been fined $5,160 in connection with its handling of emergency procedures when a resident died in January.
And a Shelton nursing home was fined $3,000 in connection with a resident who died Jan. 22 without CPR being initiated.
On Feb. 22, the state Department of Public Health (DPH) fined Long Ridge Post-Acute Care in Stamford $3,000 in connection with a resident who died on Jan. 24 without having CPR performed because there was a “do not resuscitate” order on file. The home then discovered a discrepancy in its records because the resident had asked a doctor in advance to have CPR done and to be hospitalized if needed, the citation said.
In a second citation issued the same day, Long Ridge was fined $2,160 in connection with the same resident’s death. A licensed practical nurse indicated she did not notify a registered nurse that the resident’s condition had worsened and the RN did not notify a doctor about the change in condition, the citation said. The doctor thought CPR had been tried, but it wasn’t, the citation said. The citation said the doctor would have sent the resident to a hospital if informed that the resident’s condition had worsened, the citation said.
In response to the death, the home conducted an audit of all residents’ advanced directives and retrained its licensed staff and social workers on the importance of matching the advanced directives to the doctors’ orders, the citation said. The home’s administrator could not be reached for comment.
On Feb. 4, Apple Rehab Shelton Lakes in Shelton was fined $3,000 in connection with the Jan. 22 death of a resident for whom CPR was not initiated.
The resident had an advanced directive on file that ordered no intubation. A registered nurse took that to mean that CPR should not be initiated, and a doctor reported not being notified that CPR was not used, the citation said.
In response to the incident, the home’s licensed staff received more training in how to handle advanced directives.
Apple Rehab spokeswoman Ann Collette said the company cares for more than 10,000 residents a year, adding, “Each and every one of our valued patients is important to us. Policies and procedures that ensure patient safety, dignity and well-being remains our highest priority and are reviewed regularly with staff for compliance and competency.”
That’s all they were fined? Chump change to them
“The resident had an advanced directive on file that ordered no intubation. A registered nurse took that to mean that CPR should not be initiated, and a doctor reported not being notified that CPR was not used, the citation said.”
This is just outrageous. The training that our professional nurses get is severely sub-par compared to the training of nurses years ago. I agree that the fine should have been much more than $3,000. I hope that nurse had her license revoked. If a nurse can’t keep her head about her in an emergency situation, and if the nurse doesn’t know the difference between intubation and CPR, she should not be a nurse. It’s just unthinkable that someone may have died simply because of their lack of medical training.