Failure to Thoroughly Investigate Allegation of Misappropriation of Resident Money
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to identify and thoroughly investigate an allegation of misappropriation of money for one resident. The resident, who had diagnoses including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cervical radiculopathy, and congestive heart failure, reported missing $14.00 from an envelope on the nightstand. The facility's documentation did not include a comprehensive investigation, as required by policy. Specifically, there was no documentation of which nursing staff were interviewed, the date and time the resident last saw the money, the varying amounts reported missing, the amount of money in the resident's possession during the investigation, or which staff had access to the resident's room across all shifts. Interviews with the Director of Social Services and the Administrator revealed that neither could recall or had documented key details of the investigation, such as the names of staff interviewed or the specifics of the resident's last appointment. The Administrator acknowledged not interviewing all relevant staff, including the nurse aide who accompanied the resident to an appointment, and could not provide a reason for the lack of documentation. The facility's abuse prohibition policy required a prompt and thorough investigation, including interviews with all relevant parties and a room search, but these steps were not fully documented or completed.