Failure to Timely Report Allegations of Abuse
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to immediately report allegations of abuse to the State Office of Health Care Quality within the required two-hour timeframe for two out of four residents reviewed during an annual and complaint survey. In one instance, a resident's family member reported to an LPN that the resident had been hurt by a night shift staff member. Although this was documented in a progress note, the allegation was not reported to the state agency or investigated until the following day, as the staff did not notify the Nursing Home Administrator until then. In another case, a resident informed a maintenance technician about an incident of being smacked during the night shift, which was later reported to the EVS Director. The incident was not reported to the state agency until several hours after the initial disclosure, exceeding the two-hour reporting requirement. During interviews, both the Nursing Home Administrator and the Director of Nursing confirmed awareness of the two-hour reporting policy and acknowledged that there was no valid reason for the delay in reporting these allegations.