Failure to Report Alleged Abuse and Neglect to Authorities
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that all alleged violations involving abuse, neglect, exploitation, or mistreatment were reported immediately to the administrator and appropriate authorities, including the State Survey Agency and law enforcement, as required by policy and state law. Specifically, for five of six residents reviewed, allegations and grievances related to abuse or neglect were not reported as mandated. These included an allegation that one resident was watching child pornography and offered to show it to another resident, a report of a staff member yelling at a resident in the dining room, a staff member telling a resident not to use her call light excessively, and a complaint that a nurse did not provide a pain pill as requested. In each instance, the facility's grievance log documented the concerns, but there was no evidence that these incidents were reported to the required agencies. Interviews with the Nursing Home Administrator confirmed awareness of at least some of these allegations but acknowledged that they were not reported as required. The facility's own policy states that any suspicion of abuse, neglect, exploitation, or misappropriation must be reported immediately to the administrator and appropriate authorities. Despite this, the incidents involving the residents were not communicated to the State Survey Agency or law enforcement, constituting a failure to follow established procedures for reporting suspected abuse or neglect.