Failure to Report Alleged Misappropriation of Resident Medication
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to report an allegation of misappropriation of resident property to the appropriate state agency for one resident. A nurse reported to the Regional Director of Clinical Services (RDCS) that another nurse may have taken antibiotic medications from the medication room. The RDCS conducted an investigation and determined that the antibiotic medication in question had been signed out and administered to the resident as ordered, with no confirmed misappropriation. As a result, the Administrator did not report the allegation to the state agency. The RDCS also indicated that no other residents on antibiotics were investigated, as the description of the medication container provided by the reporting nurse only matched the medications for the resident in question. The facility's policy requires that all incidents of misappropriation of resident property, including missing prescription medications, be reported to the Indiana Department of Health in compliance with federal and state regulations. Despite this policy, the allegation was not reported because the internal investigation did not confirm misappropriation.