Incomplete TB Screening for New Employees
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that all new hire employees had current and complete TB testing results in their personnel files, as required by the facility's own Tuberculin (TB) Risk Assessment and policy. Specifically, the personnel file for an LPN did not contain any TB skin test results, and the files for a housekeeper and a CNA showed that only the first step of the required two-step TB skin test was completed, with no documentation of the second step. The facility's policy required a baseline two-step skin test for all healthcare workers prior to employment, but this was not consistently followed. Interviews with the Human Resource Director confirmed the absence or incompleteness of TB testing documentation in the employee files. The Regional Director of Operations also acknowledged that new employees should have completed the two-step TB skin test upon hire. The facility census at the time was 80 residents, and the deficiency had the potential to affect all residents. There were no reported TB infections in the facility at the time of the review.