Failure to Timely Report Alleged Abuse
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to report an allegation of abuse in a timely manner for one resident. According to the facility's policy, any allegation of neglect, exploitation, mistreatment, or misappropriation of resident property must be reported to the State Regulatory Agency within 24 hours. However, a review of the clinical record and incident report revealed that a resident, who was unable to complete a cognitive interview and had diagnoses including schizophrenia, diabetes mellitus with hyperglycemia, and muscle weakness, reported to the nurse's station that a man was in her room and attempted to sexually assault her. The nurse who received this report only documented the incident in the progress notes and did not notify other staff or the Administrator. As a result, the allegation was not reported to the State Agency within the required timeframe. The Assistant Director of Nursing confirmed that the delay occurred because the nurse failed to follow reporting procedures, and the Administrator acknowledged that the incident was not reported as required by policy. There was no documentation indicating that the abuse allegation was communicated to appropriate personnel or authorities in a timely manner.