Wilkes Barre Hospital Cited Again

By Walter F. Roche Jr.

A Wilkes Barre hospital which was cited for multiple deficiencies last summer has been hit again by a highly critical report by surveyors from the Pennsylvania Health Department.
In a report just made public the state surveyors concluded the PAM (Post Acute Medical) Specialty Hospital, did not meet the basic requirements for participation in the federal Medicare program. The latest report cites the hospital for the way it handled a patient's request to have a so-called full code implemented in a medical emergency'
According to the report the patient had requested to be full code at the time of admission, but was not coded on the date of death, Sept. 9 of this year. The patient died at 2:40 a.m., but a Do Not Resuscitate order was not signed by a physician until 7 p.m.of the same day.
The inspectors also cited the facility for improper handling of several other Do Not Resuscitate orders. In some cases the hospital records showed a lack of verification that a physician discussed end-of-life choices with the patients.
The same facility was cited earlier this year by state surveyors for deficient care provided to patients by nursing staff and a lack of adequate nursing staff. The 36-bed unit is located within the Wilkes Barre General Hospital.
"The nursing service must have adequate numbers of licensed registered nurses and other personnel," the earlier report states.
The latest report also faults the hospital for failing to have dietary orders approved by appropriate staff and for improper handling of organ donor forms.
The hospital did file a Plan of Correction in which it promised to have physicians fully fill out the appropriate forms for end-of-life preferences and for an auditing process to ensure compliance. The plan also calls for disciplinary action to be initiated for non-compliance.
Hospital officials did not respond to requests for comment.
Contact: wfrochejr999@gmail.com














Tuesday, July 30, 2019
Wilkes Barre Hospital Understaffed?

By Walter F. Roche Jr.

A specialty hospital in Wilkes Barre "showed a systemic nature of non-compliance with nursing services," according to a report from the Pennsylvania Health Department.
The highly critical report, the result of three recent visits to the PAM (Post Acute Medical) Specialty Hospital, cited multiple deficiencies in the care provided to patients by the nursing staff.
Six patients were not re-positioned every two hours as ordered, five patients missed weight checks and no assistance was provided a patient who needed help in feeding.
The facility "failed to ensure that nursing administration provided oversight of nursing services," the report states.
The 36-bed unit is located within the Wilkes Barre General Hospital.
Still other deficiencies included failure to check glucose levels before insulin injection, failure to bathe four patients, delays in performing dietary assessments, and failure to send a patient's record to the emergency room along with the patient. The patient ended up in intensive care suffering from acute respiratory failure.
Other records, the surveyors reported, were filled out in advance and inaccurately.
"The nursing service must have adequate numbers of licensed registered nurses and other personnel," the report states
Also noted in the report was the fact that the state surveyor slipped on a wet floor which had no signage.
A plan of correction filed by the hospital includes retraining of staffers and audits to ensure compliance with standards.
The report noted that the hospital failed to implement a prior plan of correction filed earlier this year in response to another critical inspection report.
Contact: wfrochejr999@gmail.com
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