Failure to Timely Report Alleged Physical Abuse
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to report an allegation of physical abuse involving a female resident with multiple diagnoses, including COPD, anxiety, PTSD, and insomnia. The resident alleged that she was physically assaulted by another resident in the elevator, with two LPNs present and aware of the incident. The resident reported that she informed a psychotherapist and a physician's assistant, but no action was taken, and she was not interviewed by the administrator or the director of nursing. No incident report was filed, and the police were not contacted following the allegation. The administrator acknowledged being informed of the allegation by an LPN, who reported that the resident claimed to have been beaten and had broken dentures. Despite this, the administrator did not file an abuse report immediately, citing the resident's unwillingness to discuss the incident and lack of physical marks. The initial facility-reported incident was not filed until eight days after the alleged event, which was not in accordance with the facility's abuse policy requiring immediate reporting of abuse allegations to the state agency.