Life Care Center Of Merrimack Valley
Life Care Center Of Merrimack Valley in BILLERICA, MA — inspection on August 14, 2025.
Found 1 citation. Severity: Standard violations.
Health inspections identify deficiencies that facilities must correct within required timeframes. Violations range from minor documentation issues to serious safety concerns and are subject to follow-up verification.
Inspection Findings
Sertraline (Antidepressant) 100 mg tablet, start date 08/12/25, take two tablets by mouth at bedtime
and Sertraline HCL.Review of Resident #2's Informed Consent for Psychotropic Administration Form,
not obtained until the day of Survey, on 08/14/25 (three (3) days after he/she had already been administrated the medications).3) Resident #3 was admitted to the Facility in August 2025, diagnoses included, but were not limited to, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Anxiety Disorder, Chronic Respiratory Failure and Emphysema.Review of Resident #3's Physician's Orders, dated Active Orders as of 08/12/25, indicated to administer the following;- Lorazepam (Anxiolytics) 0.5 milligram (mg), start date 08/12/25, give one tablet by mouth every 8 hours as needed for Anxiety;- Olanzapine (Antipsychotic) 2.5 mg tablet, start date 08/12/25, give one tablet by mouth twice a day for Anxiety; and- Olanzapine (Antipsychotic) 2.5 mg tablet, start date 08/12/25, give one tablet by mouth every six (6) hours as needed for Anxiety.Review of Resident #3's Medication Administration Record (MAR), dated August 2025, indicated he/she had been administered three (3) doses of Lorazepam and four (4) doses of Olanzapine.However, review of Resident #3's Informed Consent for Psychotropic Administration Form, indicated that signed written consent for the administration of his/her psychotropic medications was not obtained until the day of Survey, on 08/14/25 (three (3) days after he/she had already been started on the medications).
During an interview on 08/14/25 at 4:58 P.M., the Director of Nurses (DON) said there was no Informed Consent for Psychotropic Administration obtained related to Resident #1's Fluoxetine, Hydroxyzine and Trazodone, during his/her admission.The DON said Informed Consent for Psychotropic Administration for Resident #2's Bupropion XL, Haloperidol, Hydroxyzine HCL and Sertraline were not obtained upon admission or prior to administration.
The DON said Informed Consent for Psychotropic Administration for Resident #3's Lorazepam and Olanzapine were not obtained upon admission or prior to administration.The DON said that it is the Facility's expectation that the Nurse admitting each resident obtain informed written consents for psychotropic medication from either the resident or the resident's responsible party, prior to administering any psychotropic medications.
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Source: This inspection report was downloaded directly from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) via Medicare.gov. CMS releases nursing home inspection reports in bulk. The findings reflect what state surveyors documented in the official Form CMS-2567 Statement of Deficiencies on the date of the inspection.
Plan of correction not included: The CMS report we receive does not include the facility's plan of correction. Facilities submit plans of correction separately to their state survey agency and those responses may not appear in CMS public data at the time of release. The absence of a plan of correction in this report does not mean one was not filed. Readers who want information about corrective steps taken by the facility are encouraged to contact the facility or their state survey agency directly.
Corrections may have been made: This report reflects conditions observed on the date of the survey. The facility may have implemented staffing changes, additional training, policy revisions, or other corrective actions since this report was issued. We publish what CMS provides and encourage readers to seek current information from the facility.