Failure to Timely Report Suspected Misappropriation of Resident Property
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to develop and/or implement policies and procedures to ensure the timely reporting of a reasonable suspicion of a crime, specifically regarding the misappropriation of resident property. A resident reported that $80 was missing from their purse, which had been given to them by their spouse for use at the facility's beautician. The resident notified the facility of the missing funds, but there was no documentation in the clinical record of any incident or reported misappropriation at the time of notification. The facility's policy required immediate reporting of such allegations to the administrator and to the State Agency and law enforcement within 24 hours if the event did not result in serious bodily injury. Despite being notified of the missing funds, the facility did not report the reasonable suspicion of misappropriation to the Department of Health, Department of Aging, or law enforcement until almost five days after the initial notification by the resident. The required agencies were not notified until after the surveyor became aware of the concern and informed the facility. This delay in reporting was confirmed through interviews with facility leadership and review of the facility's electronic reporting system and mandatory abuse reports.