Failure to Maintain Required RN Coverage
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that a registered nurse (RN) was on duty for at least eight consecutive hours each day, as required. Review of staffing schedules and time punch cards revealed that there was no RN coverage on six specific days, despite a census of 87 residents. The job description for RNs indicated their role in providing skilled nursing care under physician direction. Interviews with the staffing scheduler and the Director of Nursing (DON) revealed a lack of awareness regarding the requirement for daily RN coverage, with both staff members expressing uncertainty about whether the DON could be counted toward the required RN hours and whether the facility census affected this requirement. The DON confirmed that on days with no RN listed on the schedule or time punch card, there was no RN on shift.