Opinion ID: 612907
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Immediate Jeopardy

Text: Noncompliance rises to the level of immediate jeopardy when it has caused, or is likely to cause, serious injury, harm, impairment, or death to a resident. 42 C.F.R. § 488.301. CMS's determination as to the level of noncompliance is upheld unless clearly erroneous. § 498.60(c)(2). In this case, a seriously ill resident received a small portion of the fluids she required, her fluid intake and output were not properly recorded, and she quickly developed severe dehydration and other medical complications. Lab tests that could have identified the resident's high potassium levels were not completed in a timely manner. Two days after the resident was diagnosed with dangerously high potassium levels, Golden resumed administering potassium pills. All the while Golden's staff members, including its attending physician, were not adequately apprised of the resident's condition or of her specific monitoring and treatment needs. These facts support a finding that Golden's noncompliance was likely to cause harm and indeed did harm R1. [5] CMS's finding of immediate jeopardy, therefore, was not clearly erroneous.