§483.80 Infection Control The facility must establish and maintain an infection prevention and control program designed to provide a safe, sanitary and comfortable environment and to help prevent the development and transmission of communicable diseases and infections.
§483.80(a) Infection prevention and control program. The facility must establish an infection prevention and control program (IPCP) that must include, at a minimum, the following elements:
§483.80(a)(1) A system for preventing, identifying, reporting, investigating, and controlling infections and communicable diseases for all residents, staff, volunteers, visitors, and other individuals providing services under a contractual arrangement based upon the facility assessment conducted according to §483.71 and following accepted national standards;
§483.80(a)(2) Written standards, policies, and procedures for the program, which must include, but are not limited to: (i) A system of surveillance designed to identify possible communicable diseases or infections before they can spread to other persons in the facility; (ii) When and to whom possible incidents of communicable disease or infections should be reported; (iii) Standard and transmission-based precautions to be followed to prevent spread of infections; (iv)When and how isolation should be used for a resident; including but not limited to: (A) The type and duration of the isolation, depending upon the infectious agent or organism involved, and (B) A requirement that the isolation should be the least restrictive possible for the resident under the circumstances. (v) The circumstances under which the facility must prohibit employees with a communicable disease or infected skin lesions from direct contact with residents or their food, if direct contact will transmit the disease; and (vi)The hand hygiene procedures to be followed by staff involved in direct resident contact.
§483.80(a)(4) A system for recording incidents identified under the facility's IPCP and the corrective actions taken by the facility.
§483.80(e) Linens. Personnel must handle, store, process, and transport linens so as to prevent the spread of infection.
§483.80(f) Annual review. The facility will conduct an annual review of its IPCP and update their program, as necessary.
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Observations:
Based on review of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance, facility policy, clinical records, observations, and staff interviews, it was determined the facility failed to implement Enhanced Barrier Precautions (EBP) to prevent the potential spread of infection for one of five residents reviewed (Resident 83) who had an indwelling medical device.
Findings include:
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Enhanced Barrier Precautions (EBP) guidance focuses on gown and glove use and other important infection control measures for prevention of multi-drug-resistant organisms (MDRO type of bacteria or microorganism that has developed resistance to multiple classes of antibiotics, making infections harder to treat). EBP are recommended for residents with any of the following: infection or colonization with a MDRO, a wound, or indwelling medical device, even if the resident is not known to be infected or colonized with a MDRO.
Review of the facility Enhanced Barrier Precautions (EBP) Policy last reviewed/revised January 14, 2026, indicated EBPs are used to prevent the spread of MDROs. The policy directs the use of EBP during high-contact care activities for residents with chronic wounds (skin ulcers) or indwelling medical devices (medical instrument left inside the body temporarily or permanently to support physiological functions). The procedure includes precautions (gown and gloves) during high-contact resident care activities including dressing, bathing/showering, transferring, providing hygiene, changing linens, changing briefs or assisting with toileting, device care or use and wound care. According to the procedure guidelines, when EBP are in place there will be signs posted in the door or wall outside the resident room and personal protective equipment (PPE) (gowns and gloves) will be readily accessible outside the resident's room.
Resident 83 was admitted to the facility on December 31, 2025, with diagnoses including, but not limited to, endocarditis (inflammation of the inner lining of the heart valves and chambers), end stage renal disease (a condition in which the kidneys no longer function well enough to meet the body's needs), and dependence on dialysis (a treatment that performs the function of the kidneys when they are no longer able to work effectively).
Review of the admission Minimum Data Set (MDS, a federally mandated standardized assessment conducted at specific intervals to plan resident care) dated January 5, 2026, revealed a Brief Interview for Mental Status score of 15. (BIMS, brief interview for mental status, a tool to assess the residents attention, orientation and ability to register and recall new information, a score of 13-15 equates to being cognitively intact.
Current physician orders dated December 31, 2025, indicated Resident 83 was to receive dialysis treatments three times weekly on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. The orders directed staff to inspect the dialysis access site daily for signs of infection, including localized pain, erythema (redness), warmth, edema (swelling), or abnormal drainage.
Review of the clinical record identified that the dialysis access site was a double lumen catheter located in the right upper chest. A double lumen catheter is a type of central venous catheter (a flexible tube placed into a large vein) that contains two separate internal channels or "lumens." One lumen allows blood to be removed from the body and sent to the dialysis machine for filtration, while the second lumen allows the filtered blood to be returned to the body. This catheter remains inserted into a large vein for ongoing treatment and is therefore considered an indwelling medical device (a medical instrument that remains inside the body either temporarily or permanently to support normal body functions or deliver treatment).
The presence of this double lumen dialysis catheter constituted an indwelling medical device as defined in both CDC guidance and the facility's Enhanced Barrier Precautions policy.
Review of the clinical record revealed no documented physician order or care plan intervention indicating implementation of Enhanced Barrier Precautions for Resident 83, despite the presence of an indwelling medical device as outlined in CDC guidance and facility policy.
Observation conducted on February 4, 2026, at 10:41 AM, revealed there was no signage posted outside Resident 83's room indicating Enhanced Barrier Precautions. Additionally, no personal protective equipment, including gowns or gloves designated for EBP use, was observed to be readily accessible outside the resident's room.
On February 4, 2026, at 1:45 PM, the above findings were reviewed with the Nursing Home Administrator and Director of Nursing.
28 Pa. Code 211.10(a)(c)(d) Resident care policies.
28 Pa. Code 211.12 (c)(d)(1)(5) Nursing services.
| | Plan of Correction - To be completed: 03/10/2026
1.Resident # 83 EBP initiated, and Plan of Care updated 2. Audit was completed to verify required EBP are in place and the plan of care initiated 3. Licensed nursing staff were re-educated on EBP by DON/designee 4. IP nurse will complete audit 5x week x 4 weeks to verify EBP are in place and plan of care is updated. Audit will continue weekly X 2months. Results will be brought to QAPI for further review.
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