Failure to Immediately Report Allegations of Abuse and Misappropriation
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that allegations of verbal abuse and misappropriation involving two residents were immediately reported to the Nursing Home Administrator (NHA) or Social Worker, as required by facility policy. In one instance, a resident with moderate cognitive impairment was verbally abused by a CNA, an incident witnessed by the facility receptionist. Instead of immediately notifying the NHA or Social Worker, the receptionist wrote a note and placed it under the Social Worker’s door, resulting in a delay in reporting. The Social Worker did not become aware of the incident until the following day, and the CNA continued to work on the resident’s unit for the remainder of the shift before being suspended the next day. Additionally, another resident’s allegation of misappropriation of money and property was not reported to the NHA or Social Worker, which also led to a delay in reporting to the State Agency. The facility’s policy requires immediate investigation and reporting of all alleged violations to the Administrator and appropriate authorities within specific timeframes, but these procedures were not followed in these cases. The deficiencies were identified through interviews and record reviews conducted by surveyors.