P5520

Facility Fails to Meet Nurse Aide Staffing Ratios

Mount Carmel Senior Living CommunityMt Carmel, Pennsylvania Survey Completed on 01-02-2025

Summary

The facility failed to meet the required nurse aide-to-resident ratios as mandated by regulations effective July 1, 2024. During the review period from December 26, 2024, to January 2, 2025, the facility did not maintain the minimum staffing levels for nurse aides across various shifts. Specifically, the day shift required one nurse aide per 10 residents, but the facility fell short on six out of eight days. Similarly, the evening shift required one nurse aide per 11 residents, but the facility did not meet this requirement on five out of eight days. The night shift, which required one nurse aide per 15 residents, was also understaffed on four out of eight days. The deficiency was confirmed through a review of nursing staff care hours and an interview with the Nursing Home Administrator and Director of Nursing. The review highlighted specific days where the number of nurse aides scheduled was insufficient for the resident census. For instance, on December 31, 2024, during the day shift, only 5.56 nurse aides were scheduled for a census of 104 residents, whereas 10.40 nurse aides were required. This pattern of understaffing was consistent across the reviewed period, indicating a systemic issue in maintaining the mandated staffing levels.

Plan Of Correction

The Facility is unable to correct past CNA ratios. The Facility is currently in the process of trying to partner with an outside provider to offer CNA classes at the Facility with the hope of increasing the Facility staff when the participants become CNAs. Facility ancillary Nursing staff assist in filling open shifts. Nursing staff will be educated on the Facility Attendance Policy. The Facility continues to actively recruit for open CNA positions using online systems, fliers, and outside recruiters. The Facility continues to use Agency staff to fill open shifts. Agency CNA rates were recently increased as an attempt to aid with staffing. Shift bonuses continue to be offered to Facility staff as necessary to aid in filling open positions. The Facility continues to conduct daily staffing meetings to ensure all available efforts are being made to meet necessary CNA ratios. The DON/Designee will audit CNA ratios weekly for 4 weeks, then monthly for 2 months for compliance. Results of the audits will be reported at the monthly QAPI meeting for review and recommendations.

Penalty

No penalty information released
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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.
See other P5520 citations
Failure to Meet Minimum NA-to-Resident Ratio on a Day Shift
P5520
Short Summary

The facility did not meet required NA staffing ratios on one reviewed day shift. Review of nursing schedules over a multi-week period showed that on a specific day shift, the number of NAs scheduled did not meet the mandated minimum of one NA per ten residents. During a subsequent interview, the DON confirmed that the facility failed to comply with the required NA-to-resident ratio for that shift.

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 Maintain Minimum Night Shift Nurse Aide Staffing Ratios
P5520
Short Summary

Facility administrative staff did not consistently meet required minimum nurse aide staffing ratios on the night shift, as shown by a review of nursing schedules and census data over a multi-week period. On multiple nights, the total nurse aide hours provided were below the calculated hours needed to maintain at least one nurse aide per 15 residents, resulting in several shifts where required coverage was not achieved. The Nursing Home Administrator acknowledged that the facility failed to provide the mandated minimum nurse aide staffing on these night shifts.

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 Meet Minimum Nurse Aide Staffing Ratios Across Multiple Shifts
P5520
Short Summary

The facility did not meet required minimum NA staffing ratios on multiple day, evening, and night shifts during a reviewed period. Staffing records showed that, with a census of approximately 58–59 residents, actual NA hours on several day and evening shifts, and one night shift, were below the hours needed to achieve mandated ratios of 1 NA per 10 residents on days, 1 NA per 11 residents on evenings, and 1 NA per 15 residents overnight. The DON confirmed that the required number of NAs was not provided on the identified shifts.

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 Maintain Minimum Nurse Aide Day-Shift Staffing Ratios
P5520
Short Summary

Surveyors found that on two reviewed days, the facility did not provide the required minimum number of nurse aides on the day shift relative to the number of residents. Staffing records showed that the nurse aide-to-resident ratio fell below the mandated standard, and the NHA acknowledged that the required nurse aide staffing ratios were not met on those days.

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 Maintain Required NA-to-Resident Staffing Ratios Across Multiple Shifts
P5520
Short Summary

Surveyors found that the facility repeatedly failed to meet required NA-to-resident staffing ratios on multiple day, evening, and night shifts. Review of census and staffing schedules showed that the number of NAs scheduled and providing care was consistently below the minimum required based on the number of residents, with shortfalls documented on numerous shifts across several weeks. There were no additional higher-level staff available to offset these NA shortages, and the Administrator confirmed that the required staffing ratios were not met on the identified shifts.

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 Maintain Minimum Nurse Aide Staffing Ratios
P5520
Short Summary

The facility did not maintain the required NA-to-resident staffing ratios on multiple reviewed shifts, as shown by weekly staffing records and staff interviews. For a census of 28 residents, the facility was required to staff specific minimum NA levels on day and evening shifts but instead scheduled fewer NAs than mandated, and no additional higher-level staff were present to offset the shortfall. The NHA acknowledged that the required NA-to-resident ratios were not met on the identified shifts.

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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