Resident Rights Violation: Unwarranted Room Transfer for Staff Convenience
Penalty
Summary
A resident with diagnoses of schizophrenia, anxiety disorder, and seizure disorder was admitted to the facility and had been residing in a private room for an extended period due to behavioral reasons. According to the clinical record and census review, the resident occupied the private room from 6/21/24 to 7/10/25. Staff interviews revealed that the resident was moved out of the private room to accommodate another resident who also required a private room for behavioral reasons. The social worker confirmed that the decision to move the resident was based on facility needs rather than the resident's needs, and that the resident was not able to pay for the private room. The facility failed to ensure that the room change was not completed for staff convenience, as required by resident rights regulations. The social worker acknowledged that the move was made to meet facility needs and not the needs of the resident, despite being aware that both residents had similar behavioral concerns necessitating a private room. This action resulted in a deficiency related to the protection of the resident's right to refuse certain types of non-requested transfers within the facility.