F0835 F835: Administer the facility in a manner that enables it to use its resources effectively and efficiently.
E

Inadequate Administration and Abuse Allegations

Riverview Healthcare CenterFlandreau, South Dakota Survey Completed on 01-08-2025

Summary

The facility failed to ensure the safety and well-being of its residents due to inadequate administration by the Executive Director (ED) and Director of Nursing (DON). The administration did not maintain an effective abuse and neglect prohibition program, as evidenced by their failure to follow policies and procedures related to mandatory reporting and investigations of abuse allegations. Specifically, there were allegations of physical, verbal, and mental abuse by a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) towards two residents, which were not reported or thoroughly investigated by the ED and DON. Interviews revealed that both the ED and DON initially denied knowledge of these allegations, and the investigation was insufficient, lacking documentation and comprehensive interviews with staff and residents. Additionally, the facility did not uphold residents' rights to personal privacy. An anonymous staff member used a cellphone to secretly record private resident conversations, intending to provide proof of residents' concerns about their care. This recording was shared with the ED, who was aware of the situation but did not take appropriate action. The failure to protect residents' privacy and address their concerns further highlights the administration's inability to manage the facility effectively. The report also indicates that the DON allowed the implicated CNA to continue working despite being aware of the abuse allegations, potentially putting residents at further risk. The DON was not familiar with the facility's abuse and neglect policy, which required the suspension of staff pending investigation. The divisional director of clinical operations confirmed that the ED was placed on suspension for failing to follow the provider's policy regarding abuse prevention and investigation. The ED was supposed to act as the abuse coordinator, responsible for overseeing the implementation of policies to prevent abuse and neglect, but failed to fulfill these duties.

Penalty

Inspection fine: $15,330
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 F0835 citations
Failure to Protect a Known Elopement Risk
D
F0835 F835: Administer the facility in a manner that enables it to use its resources effectively and efficiently.
Short Summary

The NHA and DON failed to manage the facility effectively to protect a resident known to be at risk for elopement. A resident exited the assigned nursing unit unsupervised, and the report states this created an Immediate Jeopardy situation for one of fourteen residents documented as elopement risks. The NHA and DON confirmed the administrative failure during interview.

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.
Ineffective Administration Affecting Falls, Staffing, Nutrition, Immunizations, and Abuse Prevention
F
F0835 F835: Administer the facility in a manner that enables it to use its resources effectively and efficiently.
Short Summary

Ineffective administration led to multiple failures in fall management, staffing, nutrition, immunization education, and abuse prevention. The facility did not follow fall interventions or complete accurate fall assessments and investigations, and two residents sustained serious injuries, including rib fractures and a thoracic burst fracture after an improper transfer. The report also cites inadequate RN coverage, insufficient staffing, missed dialysis transport, inaccurate documentation, falsified bathing records, failure to provide snacks and adaptive equipment, and abuse-related issues including verbal abuse and misappropriation of resident funds and property.

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 Abuse and Neglect Allegations
E
F0835 F835: Administer the facility in a manner that enables it to use its resources effectively and efficiently.
Short Summary

Failure to Timely Report Abuse and Neglect Allegations: The facility failed to maintain an effective system for timely reporting allegations of abuse and neglect after a prior F609 citation for the same issue. Surveyors found nine late reports involving multiple residents, and staff and the administrator acknowledged ongoing difficulty tracking when reports were due, with most late reports occurring during the monitoring period after the earlier deficiency.

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 Protect Resident from Elopement
J
F0835 F835: Administer the facility in a manner that enables it to use its resources effectively and efficiently.
Short Summary

A resident with dementia and wandering tendencies was not protected from elopement after staff failed to follow instructions to place a Wander Guard and move him to the Secured Memory Unit. The resident was seen in the lobby, later could not be located, and was found miles from the facility after leaving unsupervised; the front entry door also lacked an operational Wander Guard system.

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 Ensure Supervision and Elopement Prevention
D
F0835 F835: Administer the facility in a manner that enables it to use its resources effectively and efficiently.
Short Summary

Failure to Ensure Supervision and Elopement Prevention: The facility failed to consistently supervise and maintain safety interventions to prevent elopement for residents. Review of records, job descriptions, and staff interviews showed the NHA and DON did not effectively manage the facility to ensure proper supervision and elopement prevention interventions were implemented, and they failed to fulfill their essential duties to ensure federal and state guidelines and regulations were followed.

Inspection fine: $14,385
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.
Unqualified Social Service Director Hired
F
F0835 F835: Administer the facility in a manner that enables it to use its resources effectively and efficiently.
Short Summary

Unqualified Social Service Director Hired: The facility failed to ensure the Social Service Director met the stated qualification of a bachelor's degree and 1 year of social services experience. The Administrator stated the current SSD was still in school and had not completed her degree, while a behavioral health director with a degree only helped with social services at times and was not the SSD. The job description and facility policy did not align with current regulatory requirements, and the facility census was 182 residents.

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 South Dakota

Get a heads-up on the newest immediate-jeopardy (J–L) citations in South Dakota — 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.