Failure to Timely Complete and Report Abuse and Misappropriation Investigations
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to complete and report the results of investigations into allegations of abuse and misappropriation to the State agency within the required five business days. In one instance, a cognitively intact resident with diagnoses including depression, alcohol abuse, and kidney failure was involved in a physical altercation with another resident, resulting in an investigation that was completed in six business days. In another case, a cognitively intact resident with chronic medical conditions such as COPD, diabetes, and malnutrition reported missing personal items, including a wallet, ID, debit card, and cash. The investigation into this misappropriation allegation was completed in eight business days. The Administrator confirmed that neither investigation was completed and reported within the mandated timeframe, and there was no documentation of extenuating circumstances to justify the delays. Facility policy requires that such investigations be completed within five days unless special circumstances are present, but no such circumstances were identified or documented for these cases. This deficiency was identified during a complaint investigation and affected two of four residents reviewed for self-reported incidents.