Failure to Secure Confidential Resident Records
Penalty
Summary
Staff failed to safeguard resident-identifiable information and maintain medical, financial, and legal records in accordance with accepted professional standards. Observations revealed that a bin for storage of medical records to be destroyed was left unlocked in the copy room, and the door to this room was also unlocked. Additionally, a shred bin behind the Nurse's Station was found unlocked with the door slightly ajar, and the Nurse's Station itself had an open floor plan with no barriers to restrict access to the area where the bin was located. Multiple staff members were present in and around the area at the time of observation. Further observations showed that the storage room on [NAME] Hall, which contained multiple filing cabinets labeled with sensitive information such as financial, social service, business office, and resident files, used the same entry code as the restroom. Several cabinets labeled as Resident Files had unlocked hasps attached, making them accessible. These findings indicate that confidential records were not stored securely, allowing for potential unauthorized access.