Southern Utah Home Health

The agency failed to ensure that skilled services were provided as necessary to meet the patient's needs for 1 of 7 sample patients.

For 1 of 7 sample patients, the agency staff did not provide care and services in accordance with physician orders.

The home health agency did not maintain clinical records which contained pertinent past and current findings in accordance with accepted professional standards.

The Home Health Agency did not ensure that each patient had a comprehensive assessment completed no later than five calendar days after the start of care.

The agency did not ensure all patient care orders, including verbal orders, were recorded in the plan of care (POC) for 3 of 7 sample patients and 1 supplemental patient.

The home health agency did not ensure clinical notes were accurately prepared.

The agency failed to develop, implement, maintain and document an emergency preparedness (EP) program.

The home health agency (HHA) failed to ensure each patient received a patient specific comprehensive assessment.

The Home Health Agency (HHA) failed to provide care planning, coordination of services, and quality of care as required.

The home health agency (HHA) failed to organize, manage, and administer its resources to attain and maintain the highest practicable functional capacity, including providing optimal care to achieve the goals and outcomes identified in the patient's plan of care, for each patient's medical, nursing…

The agency did not ensure that each patient received the home health services that were written in an individualized plan of care (POC).

The agency staff did not follow accepted infection control standards of practice, including the use of standard precautions, to prevent the transmission of infections while providing care for 1 of 3 staff members who were observed during surveyor home visits.

The home health agency (HHA) did not ensure infection control education was provided for 4 of 4 contracted physical therapists (PT) whose personnel files were reviewed.

The initial assessment visit by a registered nurse was not completed within 48 hours of the referral for home health services for 1 of 8 sample patients who were receiving nursing services.

The initial therapy visit was not completed within 48 hours of the referral for home health services for 2 of 3 sample patients who were receiving only therapy services.

The Home Health Agency did not ensure that each patient had a comprehensive assessment completed no later than 5 calendar days after the start of care.

The agency did not ensure that all patient medications had been reviewed for 4 of 13 patients.

The Home Health Agency (HHA) did not ensure all patients individualized plans of care (POC) contained all required elements.

For 2 of 13 sample patients, the agency did not ensure that services and treatments were administered only as ordered by the physician.

The agency did not provide services that were ordered by the physician for 1 of 13 patients.

The agency did not provide home health aide services that were ordered by the physician for 1 of 13 patients.

Further review of patient 4's medical record revealed patient 4 was receiving home health aide visits three times a week starting on 1/29/19. An aide supervisory visit was not completed until 2/13/19, 15 days after the first aide visit.

The registered nurse (RN) did not conduct an on-site supervisory visit with the home health aide at least every 60 days for 2 of 2 patients who received aide-only services and had been on service longer than 60 days.