Park Plaza Hospital, located at 1313 Hermann Dr., Houston, TX 77004, near the Texas Medical Center, was recently cited with two violations for quality of care concerns.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued the violations on March 9, 2018, as a result of an on-site survey inspection that uncovered nursing and leadership issues at the 133-bed short-term acute care hospital.
The first violation was for the failure to have proper nursing care plans in place for two out of 11 patients reviewed by the Medicare/Medicaid surveyor. One patient was admitted with a diagnosis of unstable angina, and the other was admitted with the diagnoses of pyelonephritis, sepsis, and diabetes.
The Medicare/Medicaid surveyor noted in the violation that a Park Plaza Hospital registered nurse (RN) acknowledged that each patient should have an RN assessment that determined an initial problem list, which should be documented in the patient’s care plan. The ongoing nursing process required by the standard of care involves assessing, implementing interventions, and re-evaluating the patient’s response, followed by updating the patient’s care plan.
As a former hospital administrator, I recognize the importance of nursing care plans. They are not just an academic exercise of more paperwork. Nursing care plans guide patient care and are an important tool for ensuring that physicians and nurses are adequately communicating about patient status and needs.
The second violation on the same date concerned leadership responsibilities. The Medicare/Medicaid surveyor found that Park Plaza Hospital’s leadership and administration failed to ensure that direct care by staff (nurses, techs, therapists, and physicians) maintained principles preventing transmission of infectious agents within the hospital. According to the surveyor, these sub-standard practices had the potential for spreading infection to all patients admitted to the hospital.
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As a Houston, Texas medical malpractice attorney, I have represented patients and families who had quality of care concerns about healthcare provided at Park Plaza Hospital. Painter Law Firm is here to help. Click here to send us a confidential email via our “Contact Us” form or call us at 281-580-8800.
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Robert Painter is a medical malpractice attorney at Painter Law Firm PLLC, in Houston, Texas. He is a former hospital administrator who represents patients and family members in medical negligence and wrongful death lawsuits against hospitals, physicians, surgeons, anesthesiologists, and other healthcare providers. A member of the board of directors of the Houston Bar Association, he was honored, in 2017, by H Texas as one of Houston’s top lawyers. In May 2018, the Better Business Bureau recognized Painter Law Firm PLLC with its Award of Distinction.
