Heritage Healthcare: Wound Care Skipped for Amputee - LA
Heritage Healthcare of Hammond failed to provide ordered daily wound treatments on May 9 for Resident #240, who had five separate wounds requiring care: abrasions to his left knee and right great toe, lacerations to his left knee and right forearm, and care for his surgical amputation site.
The resident told inspectors on May 20 that he was supposed to receive wound care daily. He said he couldn't recall specific days, but confirmed there had been days when he didn't receive the treatments.
No documentation exists explaining why the wound care was skipped. The facility's treatment administration record for May shows no entry for the missed care, and nursing notes contain no mention of a refusal or explanation for the gap in treatment.
The wound nurse, identified as S12TN, works Monday through Friday handling dressing changes. She told inspectors she had a doctor's appointment at noon on May 9 and left early. She said she notified the assistant director of nursing, S4ADON, that she couldn't complete Resident #240's wound care treatments before leaving.
When the regular wound nurse is unavailable, one of the assistant directors of nursing typically handles the treatments, according to S12TN.
But the assistant director of nursing gave a different version of events.
S4ADON told inspectors that after being notified the wound nurse had left early without completing Resident #240's care, she assessed the situation and found the resident was experiencing significant pain that day. She said she contacted the nurse practitioner, S14NP, who allegedly told her it was acceptable to skip the dressing change for May 9.
The assistant director acknowledged she failed to document that the wound care treatment was held, admitting she should have charted the decision.
However, the nurse practitioner flatly contradicted this account.
S14NP told inspectors she was never notified on any day since Resident #240's admission that he was in too much pain to receive wound care treatment. She said she never gave an order for wound care to be held for any reason.
The nurse practitioner said she expected staff to provide wound care to Resident #240 daily as ordered by the physician.
The facility's administrator, S1ADM, confirmed during the inspection that wound care treatments should be completed according to doctor's orders unless a resident is experiencing too much pain to tolerate the procedure. She also confirmed that if wound care cannot be completed due to a resident's pain, that decision must be documented in the medical record.
The administrator reviewed Resident #240's treatment record for May and verified that wound care for May 9 was not documented as completed.
This breakdown in communication left a vulnerable resident without essential medical care. Resident #240, who had undergone a below-knee amputation, required daily attention to prevent infection and promote healing of multiple wounds across his body.
The missed treatment represents more than a documentation error. With five separate wound sites requiring attention, including the surgical amputation site, even a single day without proper care could compromise healing and increase infection risk.
The conflicting stories from staff members raise questions about the facility's protocols when the primary wound care nurse is unavailable. While S12TN said she properly notified her supervisor before leaving early, the chain of communication apparently broke down from there.
The assistant director of nursing claimed she made a clinical decision to hold the treatment based on the resident's pain level and consultation with the nurse practitioner. But the nurse practitioner said no such consultation occurred and she never authorized skipping the daily wound care.
This leaves Resident #240 caught in the middle of contradictory accounts from the very staff members responsible for his care.
The facility's own policies, as confirmed by the administrator, require documentation when wound care cannot be completed due to patient discomfort. Even if the assistant director's version were accurate, the complete absence of any notation about the missed treatment violates the facility's standards.
Federal inspectors documented this violation under regulations requiring nursing homes to ensure residents receive treatment and care in accordance with professional standards of practice. The deficiency was classified as causing minimal harm or potential for actual harm to residents.
For Resident #240, the impact was immediate and personal. Multiple wounds went untreated for an entire day, with no clear medical justification and no documentation of the decision. The resident himself confirmed to inspectors that he had experienced other days without receiving his prescribed wound care, suggesting this may not have been an isolated incident.
The inspection occurred on May 21, just twelve days after the missed treatment, indicating the violation was recent and the investigation swift. But for a resident depending on daily wound care to heal properly from amputation surgery and multiple injuries, even brief lapses in treatment can have lasting consequences.
Full Inspection Report
The details above represent a summary of key findings. View the complete inspection report for Heritage Healthcare of Hammond from 2025-05-21 including all violations, facility responses, and corrective action plans.
Additional Resources
Data source: Official federal inspection data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
Editorial process: AI-synthesized regulatory data, reviewed for accuracy by our editorial team.
Professional review: All content reviewed by Christopher F. Nesbitt, Sr., NH EMT & BU-trained Paralegal.
Last verified: June 20, 2026 · Our methodology
Heritage Healthcare of Hammond in HAMMOND, LA was cited for violations during a health inspection on May 21, 2025.
The resident told inspectors on May 20 that he was supposed to receive wound care daily.
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.