Failure to Timely Report Alleged Abuse and Notify Law Enforcement
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to report an allegation of physical abuse by a staff member against a resident to the Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) within the mandated timeframe and did not notify local law enforcement as required. According to the facility's policy, any suspected abuse, neglect, or exploitation must be reported to OSDH and other relevant agencies. Documentation showed that the incident involving the resident was reported to OSDH the day after the allegation was made, as evidenced by the fax receipt. The incident form also lacked documentation indicating that law enforcement had been contacted regarding the allegation. The resident involved had an intact cognitive status, as indicated by a recent BIMS score of 15. During an interview, the administrator acknowledged that the abuse allegation was not reported to OSDH within the required two-hour window and that law enforcement was not contacted. The administrator attributed these failures to a lack of training and awareness of the reporting requirements at the time of the incident.