Failure to Report Abuse Allegations to Law Enforcement
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to report allegations of abuse involving two residents to the appropriate law enforcement agency. In the first instance, during a care plan meeting, a resident described a Geriatric Nursing Assistant's behavior as abusive, characterizing the staff member as intimidating, abrupt, and dismissive. The Nursing Home Administrator confirmed that only the ombudsman was notified and that law enforcement was not contacted because the incident was considered verbal abuse. The Director of Nursing later acknowledged that all allegations, regardless of type or substantiation, should have been reported to law enforcement, and confirmed that this was not done at the time of the incident. In the second case, a resident reported to a social worker that an agency staff member was rough and yelled at them during care. Review of the facility's investigation revealed that law enforcement was again not contacted regarding the allegation. The Director of Nursing confirmed during an interview that the law enforcement agency was not notified and agreed that it should have been reported. These findings were identified during the facility's Medicare/Medicaid recertification survey.