Failure to Timely Report Alleged Abuse
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to report an allegation of abuse within the required two-hour timeframe after a resident reported that another resident exposed his genitals to her. According to the facility's Abuse Prohibition Policy and Procedures, any alleged mistreatment, neglect, or abuse must be reported immediately, but no later than two hours after the allegation is made. The resident who made the allegation was cognitively intact, as indicated by a BIMS score of 15. The incident was initially reported by the resident to a therapy assistant, who then notified the social worker and documented the event in the health record. The complaint was received by the social worker and referred to the appropriate department on the same day the allegation was made. However, the facility did not report the allegation to the State Agency until three days later. The Director of Nursing (DON) and the Administrator both confirmed that the DON, who serves as the abuse coordinator, was not made aware of the allegation until the day it was reported to the state. The DON acknowledged that the report should have been made within two hours of the initial allegation. There were no other incidents between the time of the initial report and the eventual notification to the state.