Long-Term Care Survey Alert

SPECIAL FOCUS:

SURVEY MANAGEMENT--F373 Isn't The Only F Tag In Store For Non-Compliant Facilities

A problem with your feeding assistant program can mushroom.

Facilities that don't meet survey requirements for paid feeding assistants can end up with a slew of citations on their plate. In addition to F373, the list includes, according to the survey guidance for the new tag:

F241, Dignity. Surveyors will determine if staff "are attentive and responsive to the resident's requests, and if they provide assistance to eat in a manner that respects the resident's dignity, meets needs in a timely manner, and minimizes potential feelings of embarrassment, humiliation, and/or isolation related to inability to assist themselves with food or fluid intake." 

F272, Comprehensive assessments. Surveyors will review "whether the facility initially and periodically conducted a comprehensive, accurate assessment of the resident's ability to eat and drink with or without assistance and/or identified a condition that makes the resident ineligible for this service."

F279 and F280, Comprehensive care plans and comprehensive care plan revision. The care plan must be based on an assessment of the resident's "conditions, needs, and behaviors" and be consistent with the resident's goals "in order to provide assistance with nutrition and hydration as necessary." The team must review the care plan and revise it "periodically" related to the resident's "eligibility to eat and drink" with the help of a paid feeding assistant.

F325, Nutritional parameters. Surveyors will examine if the facility "identified, evaluated, and responded to a change in nutritional parameters, anorexia, or unplanned weight loss, dysphagia, and/or swallowing disorders in relation to the resident's ability to eat."

F327, Hydration. Surveyors will review whether the facility "identified, evaluated, and responded to a change in the resident's ability to swallow liquids."

F312, ADL assistance for dependent residents. Surveyors will "determine if staff identified and implemented appropriate measures to provide food and fluids for the resident who cannot perform relevant activities of daily living."

F353, Sufficient staff. Surveyors will "determine if the facility has qualified staff in sufficient numbers to provide assistance to eat or drink to those residents who require such assistance. For residents who are not eligible to receive assistance from paid feeding assistants," surveyors will look to see if the facility has sufficient CNAs to provide this assistance in a timely fashion.

F501, Medical director. Surveyors will determine whether the medical director collaborates with the facility to help develop, implement, and evaluate resident care policies and procedures based on current standards of practice, e.g., the use of paid feeding assistants, their supervision, and the criteria for determining which residents are eligible to receive assistance to eat or drink from paid feeding assistants. 

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