Marywood Heights: Medication & Documentation Failures PA
SCRANTON, PA - A July 2024 inspection at Marywood Heights nursing home on Adams Avenue revealed significant violations related to medication management, behavioral health services, and resident care documentation that put vulnerable residents at risk.
Psychiatric Care Denied Due to Transportation Issues
The most concerning violation involved a resident with major depressive disorder who was denied essential mental health services. Resident 27 had been experiencing daily episodes of persistent yelling that were difficult to redirect - a clear indication of untreated psychiatric symptoms requiring professional intervention.
The facility had scheduled a crucial psychiatrist appointment for May 28, 2024, but canceled the appointment because they could not provide transportation for the resident. As of the July 25 inspection date, nearly two months later, this critical appointment had not been rescheduled, leaving the resident without proper psychiatric care.
This failure represents a fundamental breach of care standards. Residents with behavioral health needs require consistent psychiatric follow-up to manage symptoms, adjust medications, and prevent deterioration. When nursing homes fail to ensure access to these services, residents can experience worsening depression, increased agitation, and declining quality of life. The daily yelling episodes documented in this case suggest the resident's mental health condition was inadequately managed.
Dangerous Medication Oversight Failures
Inspectors uncovered serious problems with medication management that could have resulted in harmful drug interactions or overdoses. A resident receiving treatment for anxiety and depression was prescribed three separate anti-anxiety medications simultaneously: Remeron, Ativan, and Buspar. This combination created unnecessary duplication of effects and increased the risk of serious side effects.
The facility's consultant pharmacist identified this dangerous pattern and made three separate recommendations between January and June 2024 to reduce or discontinue some of these medications. The pharmacist specifically noted that gradual dose reduction must be attempted annually for psychotropic drugs unless clinically contraindicated, and requested documentation if the physician believed the risks of reduction outweighed the benefits.
The facility failed to provide any evidence that the attending physician responded to any of these pharmacy recommendations. This breakdown in the medication review process is particularly dangerous for elderly residents, who are more susceptible to adverse drug reactions and falls from over-sedation.
Unnecessary Antibiotic Treatment Without Clinical Justification
In another medication-related violation, Marywood Heights administered a 10-day course of the antibiotic Keflex to a resident without proper clinical justification. The resident had been sent to the emergency room after a fall and dizziness, where they received a diagnosis of "possible urinary tract infection" and a prescription for antibiotics.
However, the hospital never completed the necessary urine culture and sensitivity testing to confirm the infection. When facility staff called the hospital three days later, they learned that no culture had been performed - only a basic urinalysis. Despite this lack of diagnostic confirmation and the absence of any documented UTI symptoms, the facility continued administering the antibiotic for the full 10-day course.
Unnecessary antibiotic use contributes to the growing problem of antibiotic resistance and can cause serious side effects in elderly residents, including digestive problems, secondary infections, and allergic reactions. Proper infection control protocols require confirmed bacterial infections before initiating antibiotic therapy.
Data source: This article is based on inspection data downloaded directly from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) via Medicare.gov. CMS releases inspection reports in bulk; we publish the findings as documented by state surveyors in the official Form CMS-2567 Statement of Deficiencies.
Plan of correction: The CMS report we receive does not include the facility's plan of correction. Facilities submit plans of correction separately to state survey agencies and those responses may not be reflected in CMS data at the time of publication. The absence of a plan of correction in our data does not mean one was not filed. Readers who want information about corrective steps taken are encouraged to contact the facility directly or their state survey agency.
Corrections may have occurred: Inspection reports reflect conditions observed on the date of the survey. Facilities may have implemented corrections, staffing changes, additional training, or other remediation since the report was issued. We report what CMS provides and encourage readers to seek current information from the facility.
Editorial process: Inspection findings are extracted from CMS source documents and synthesized using AI, reviewed for factual accuracy against the original report by our editorial team.
Professional review: All content reviewed by Christopher F. Nesbitt, Sr., NH EMT & BU-trained Paralegal.
Last verified: September 19, 2026 · Our methodology
MARYWOOD HEIGHTS in SCRANTON, PA was cited for violations during a health inspection on July 25, 2024.
This failure represents a fundamental breach of care standards.
Health inspections identify deficiencies that facilities must correct. Violations range from minor documentation issues to serious safety concerns. Review the full report below for specific details and facility response.