Failure to Provide Required RN Coverage
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to provide the services of a Registered Professional Nurse (RN) for eight consecutive hours a day, seven days a week, as required. Review of the facility's daily staff posting sheets and monthly nursing schedule over a specified period revealed multiple days where there was no documented eight-hour RN assignment. The facility's own assessment tool indicated the necessity of appropriate staffing, including RNs, to meet resident care needs. During an interview, the Corporate Nursing Officer acknowledged ongoing difficulties in recruiting and retaining RNs, despite increased pay and incentives, and noted reluctance to hire certain available RNs due to concerns about their work history or reputation. This deficiency had the potential to affect all 99 residents residing in the facility, as documented in the facility's application for Medicare and Medicaid.