F0867 F867: Set up an ongoing quality assessment and assurance group to review quality deficiencies and develop corrective plans of action.
D

Repeated Deficiencies in QAPI Committee's Effectiveness

Hilltop Heights Health & Rehab CenterJohnstown, Pennsylvania Survey Completed on 12-12-2024

Summary

The facility's Quality Assurance Performance Improvement (QAPI) committee failed to address recurring deficiencies effectively, as evidenced by repeated citations in multiple surveys throughout 2024. These deficiencies included failure to provide notice of bed hold policy, timely completion of comprehensive assessments, development of resident care plans, and provision of activities of daily living care to dependent residents. Additionally, the facility was cited for inadequate quality of care, improper feeding tube management, failure to maintain accurate accounts of controlled medications, improper labeling and storage of drugs and biologicals, and failure to prepare and follow menus to meet residents' needs. Despite developing plans of correction that included audits and reporting results to the QAPI committee, the facility consistently failed to maintain compliance with regulations. The repeated citations under various F-tags, such as F625, F636, F656, F677, F684, F693, F755, and F803, indicate that the QAPI committee's efforts were ineffective in ensuring ongoing compliance with nursing home regulations. The deficiencies were identified in surveys conducted on several dates, including January 18, February 23, June 19, September 19, and October 21, 2024, with the most recent survey ending on December 12, 2024.

Plan Of Correction

The center recognizes the need for the implementation of and the maintenance of effective Quality Assessment and Assurance/ Quality Assurance and Process Improvement activities to sustain system compliance. Current residents and new admissions have the potential to be affected. The facility Quality Assurance and Process Improvement committee will conduct a root cause analysis to determine steps to implement and sustain systemic correction as it relates to the cited deficiencies. To prevent recurrence, the Nursing Home Administrator and Director of Nursing will be reeducated on the policy for Quality Assessment and Assurance/Quality Assurance and Process Improvement including sustaining systemic correction by the Regional Director of Clinical Services or designee. To monitor and maintain compliance, the facility Quality Assurance and Process Improvement committee will conduct a weekly review of plan of correction audits and make recommendations as needed.

Penalty

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.

Resources

Below are regulatory guidelines relevant to this citation:

See other F0867 citations
QAPI Committee Failed to Correct Repeat Deficiencies
D
F0867 F867: Set up an ongoing quality assessment and assurance group to review quality deficiencies and develop corrective plans of action.
Short Summary

The facility QAPI committee failed to correct repeated quality deficiencies and did not ensure that plans to improve care and services effectively addressed them. A prior survey had cited the facility and included QAPI-related plans of correction, but the current survey found multiple repeat deficiencies, including F604, F609, F628, F700, F880, F883, and PA1020. The NHA confirmed the facility had multiple repeat deficiencies and had not corrected the quality issues.

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.
QAPI PIP for Pressure Ulcers Lacked Documented Interventions and Analysis
D
F0867 F867: Set up an ongoing quality assessment and assurance group to review quality deficiencies and develop corrective plans of action.
Short Summary

QAPI minutes showed an ongoing PIP for pressure ulcers, but the facility did not document clear interventions, data analysis, or a plan showing how it would reach its stated goals. The minutes contained inconsistent pressure ulcer entries, blank or incomplete PIP sections, and separate short-stay and long-stay references without explanation. The DON confirmed the facility had no documented analysis of the PIP and no laid-out plan for how the project would be carried out.

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.
QAPI Failed to Resolve Repeated Medication, Food Service, and Kitchen Compliance Deficiencies
D
F0867 F867: Set up an ongoing quality assessment and assurance group to review quality deficiencies and develop corrective plans of action.
Short Summary

The facility’s QAPI committee failed to resolve repeated deficiencies involving medication storage and labeling, food served at improper temperatures and not palatable, and staff not wearing hair coverings in the kitchen. Prior POCs called for audits and reporting to QAPI, but surveyors again cited the same issues under F761, F804, and F812 on the current survey.

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.
QAPI Committee Failed to Correct Repeated Deficiencies
D
F0867 F867: Set up an ongoing quality assessment and assurance group to review quality deficiencies and develop corrective plans of action.
Short Summary

A facility’s QAPI committee failed to correct recurring deficiencies involving a clean, homelike environment, pressure ulcer prevention, drug regimen reviews, safe food storage/preparation/service, and infection control. Prior plans of correction relied on audits and reporting to QAPI, but the same deficient practices were again cited in the current survey under F584, F686, F756, F812, and F880.

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 Address Ongoing Rodent Infestation in QAPI
F
F0867 F867: Set up an ongoing quality assessment and assurance group to review quality deficiencies and develop corrective plans of action.
Short Summary

Failure to Address Ongoing Rodent Infestation in QAPI: The facility did not use its QAPI process to address a known rodent problem. Rodent feces and traps were observed in resident rooms, dining and food areas, clean dish and linen areas, and other parts of the building. Interviews confirmed the infestation was ongoing, recommended structural repairs had not been made, the issue was not discussed in the QAPI meeting, and no education had been provided to residents or staff.

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.
QAPI Committee Failed to Track and Monitor Shower Room Deficiency
D
F0867 F867: Set up an ongoing quality assessment and assurance group to review quality deficiencies and develop corrective plans of action.
Short Summary

QAPI failed to track and monitor a black debris issue in the 300-hall shower room. An observation found black debris in the shower’s inner bottom corners, and records showed the QAPI plan only listed environmental rounds monitored by the Administrator and Maintenance without further comments. The Maintenance Supervisor said he knew about the issue, had cleaned it, but did not document weekly rounds or findings, and the Administrator also said he did not document the weekly monitoring.

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.
Citation search

Search every citation & Plan of Correction

Go to search
Citation watch

Track new serious citations across Pennsylvania

Get a heads-up on the newest immediate-jeopardy (J–L) citations in Pennsylvania — where surveyors are focused right now.

Free · about one email a month

Trusted data from CMS and state health departments

Every citation, penalty and Plan of Correction is sourced from public CMS records (latest release October 8, 2026) and official state health department websites — never guesswork.

In your survey window? See what surveyors are citing.

The Survey-Prep Report maps your facility's risk from 12 months of CMS and state citation data — what's being cited around you and what to check first. $129 one-time.

Get the Survey-Prep Report
An unhandled error has occurred. Reload 🗙

Connection lost — reconnecting… We couldn't reconnect automatically. Please reload the page to continue.