F0609 F609: Timely report suspected abuse, neglect, or theft and report the results of the investigation to proper authorities.
D

Failure to Report Injury of Unknown Origin

La Bella Of FreeburgFreeburg, Illinois Survey Completed on 08-30-2024

Summary

The facility failed to report an injury of unknown origin for a resident, identified as R23, who was reviewed for abuse. R23, who has diagnoses including generalized anxiety, major depressive disorder, dementia, unsteadiness on feet, and muscle weakness, was found to have a large bruise on her right upper arm. The bruise was discovered by CNAs during a transfer from a wheelchair to bed, and the resident complained of pain during the process. Despite the severity of the bruise and the resident's cognitive impairment, the facility did not report the injury as required. The Director of Nursing (DON) and Assistant Director of Nursing (ADON) were informed of the bruise and conducted an investigation. They concluded that the bruise was likely caused by the resident being combative during care, a behavior noted as common for R23. However, there was no documentation that the Administrator was notified, and the investigation report lacked details on the exact statements from the CNAs involved. The facility's policy requires immediate notification to the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) for potential mistreatment, but this was not done. Interviews with staff revealed inconsistencies in the accounts of the incident. The CNAs involved in the transfer did not report any unusual behavior from R23 that day, and one CNA stated that R23 was not combative or resistive to care. Despite these discrepancies, the facility did not follow its policy to report the injury to the appropriate authorities, resulting in a deficiency in handling suspected abuse or neglect cases.

Penalty

Inspection fine: $28,373
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The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.

Resources

Below are regulatory guidelines relevant to this citation:

See other F0609 citations
Failure to Report Alleged Misappropriation
D
F0609 F609: Timely report suspected abuse, neglect, or theft and report the results of the investigation to proper authorities.
Short Summary

Failure to report an alleged misappropriation of resident funds. A resident with COPD, anxiety, and PTSD reported $1,600 missing and believed another resident took it, but the SSD reportedly said it was too long ago to investigate. The CNO recalled hearing about missing funds from a family member but did not pursue it, and the CEO stated the allegation should have been reported to the State Agency.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
Failure to Report Alleged Sexual Abuse Within Required Timeframe
J
F0609 F609: Timely report suspected abuse, neglect, or theft and report the results of the investigation to proper authorities.
Short Summary

Failure to report alleged sexual abuse within required timeframe. A resident with intact cognition and significant ADL dependence alleged that a CNA raped them during incontinence care; the resident later described possible penetration and burning, while the CNA said they only provided brief care and applied ointment. The family member contacted law enforcement and requested hospital transfer, but facility leadership did not report the allegation to DOH within 2 hours, stating they believed the allegation had changed to rough handling and did not meet the reporting threshold.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
Failure to Immediately Report Abuse Allegations and Injury of Unknown Origin
E
F0609 F609: Timely report suspected abuse, neglect, or theft and report the results of the investigation to proper authorities.
Short Summary

Failure to Immediately Report Abuse Allegations and Injury of Unknown Origin: Staff did not immediately report two resident-to-resident sexual abuse incidents involving one resident touching two others, and staff also did not immediately report bruising of unknown origin on another resident. A CNA redirected the resident during the abuse incidents but did not notify the charge nurse, DON, or Administrator, and an RN and LPN did not escalate the bruising after assessing it and hearing it described as handprint-like. The delayed reporting prevented timely initiation of the abuse investigation process and resident assessment.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
Failure to Report Alleged Physical Abuse
D
F0609 F609: Timely report suspected abuse, neglect, or theft and report the results of the investigation to proper authorities.
Short Summary

Failure to Report Alleged Physical Abuse: A resident alleged that two CNAs were rough while repositioning them in bed and that the resident’s head was bumped into the headboard, causing pain. One CNA confirmed the head bump occurred during care, and the administrator stated the abuse allegation and failure to report were substantiated because the staff did not report the incident immediately.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
Failure to Timely Report Allegation of Abuse
D
F0609 F609: Timely report suspected abuse, neglect, or theft and report the results of the investigation to proper authorities.
Short Summary

Failure to Timely Report Allegation of Abuse: A nurse witnessed one resident touch another resident inappropriately, but the incident was not reported within the required timeframe. The LPN separated the residents and addressed boundaries with the resident involved, but did not report the event because she believed the RN would notify the DON. The DON and Administrator later stated the incident had not been reported immediately as required.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
Failure to Immediately Report Verbal Abuse Allegation
D
F0609 F609: Timely report suspected abuse, neglect, or theft and report the results of the investigation to proper authorities.
Short Summary

Failure to Immediately Report Verbal Abuse Allegation: A CNA was heard using foul and disrespectful language toward a cognitively impaired resident during care, but the allegation was not reported immediately to the DON/Administrator. The witness delayed reporting for several hours, and the DON, ADON, and Administrator confirmed the report was not made until later that morning. The resident had severe cognitive impairment, was dependent on staff for care, and received nutrition via GT.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
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