Failure to Timely Report Alleged Abuse to State Agency
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to timely report an allegation of abuse to the state survey agency as required by its own policy and federal regulations. According to facility policy, all alleged violations involving abuse or resulting in serious bodily injury must be reported immediately, but not later than two hours after the allegation is made. In this case, a resident with a history of stroke and intact cognition, as indicated by a BIMS score of 15, reported that a geriatric nursing assistant (GNA) was rough and rushed during incontinence care. The resident called 911 to report the incident, prompting police officers to visit the facility. The incident occurred during the overnight shift, and staff became aware of the allegation in the morning when police arrived and the resident was interviewed by the DON and Unit Manager. Despite the facility's policy and staff acknowledgment that abuse allegations should be reported within two hours, the incident was not reported to the state survey agency until several hours after staff became aware of it. The Administrator, who serves as the facility's abuse coordinator, confirmed that the report to the state agency was not made until the afternoon, well beyond the required two-hour timeframe. Documentation and interviews confirm that the delay in reporting constituted a failure to follow established procedures for timely reporting of abuse allegations.