F0868 F868: Have the Quality Assessment and Assurance group have the required members and meet at least quarterly
E

QAA/QAPI Committee Lacked Required Participation and Documentation

Custer Care And Rehab CenterCuster, South Dakota Survey Completed on 08-26-2025

Summary

The facility failed to maintain an effective Quality Assessment and Assurance (QAA)/QAPI committee that included the required members and met as expected. During interview and record review, DON B stated that the facility held monthly QAA/QAPI meetings and that each department member was expected to attend and bring reports of the information they monitored. She also stated that attendance by committee members needed improvement, that MD C had not attended regularly and was not highly involved in the process, and that no board member had been assigned to review and acknowledge the facility policies and procedures or oversee the QAA/QAPI program. Review of the QAA/QAPI attendance records from February 2025 through July 2025 showed no documentation that MD C attended any meetings during the six-month period reviewed. There was also no documentation that dietary manager U attended any meetings during that period. RD T and MM G each attended one meeting in March 2025, BOM H attended one meeting in July 2025, and consultant pharmacist D attended one meeting in July 2025. The record review also showed that reports from MD C were not maintained in Administrator A's binder, and committee members' reports were missing from the binder in various months. MD C stated by telephone that he did not know whether he had attended the last six months of QAA/QAPI meetings and would have to check his calendar. DON B confirmed that neither MD C nor a board member discussed, reviewed, or signed the facility's policies and procedures to acknowledge approval during scheduled board or QAA/QAPI meetings. The provider's policy stated that the QAA committee would meet monthly, committee members would provide written review and reports, and quarterly QA meetings would include ancillary staff, the RD, and the Medical Director.

Penalty

No penalty information released
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The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.

Resources

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See other F0868 citations
QAA Committee Attendance and Documentation Deficiencies
E
F0868 F868: Have the Quality Assessment and Assurance group have the required members and meet at least quarterly
Short Summary

QAA Committee Attendance and Documentation Deficiencies: The facility failed to maintain and account for scheduled QAA meetings. Record review and interviews showed missing attendance forms for several months, the ADON identified as the QAA lead was absent from multiple meetings, and the QAA/QAPI binder contained some data without a documented plan or leadership, with no data for the final months reviewed.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
QAPI Committee Lacked Required Attendance and Infection Control Reporting
F
F0868 F868: Have the Quality Assessment and Assurance group have the required members and meet at least quarterly
Short Summary

QAPI committee meetings did not consistently include the required members or designees, and infection control information was not reliably presented. Meeting minutes showed the Administrator and Medical Director were absent from some meetings without designees, and the DON/IP did not provide documented infection control tracking even though a COVID outbreak had occurred. Interviews confirmed that when the minutes stated no new concerns, infection control tracking and the outbreak were not discussed.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
QAPI Committee Lacked Required MD Participation
E
F0868 F868: Have the Quality Assessment and Assurance group have the required members and meet at least quarterly
Short Summary

QAPI Committee Lacked Required MD Participation: The facility failed to maintain a QAPI committee with the required members because the MD, or a representative, did not attend multiple QAPI meetings reviewed. Record review showed no evidence of MD attendance at the meetings, and the ADM stated she expected the MD to attend and did not know why he had not been present. The facility policy required an ongoing, facility-wide, data-driven QAPI program focused on resident outcomes and quality of life.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
QAA Committee Lacked Required Medical Director Participation
D
F0868 F868: Have the Quality Assessment and Assurance group have the required members and meet at least quarterly
Short Summary

The facility failed to ensure the Medical Director or designee attended a QAA Committee meeting. The attendance sheet showed the Medical Director was absent, and the ADMIN stated no additional documentation explained the absence. The facility's QAPI policy required the committee to include the Medical Director or designee.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
Medical Director Did Not Attend Required QAPI Meetings
D
F0868 F868: Have the Quality Assessment and Assurance group have the required members and meet at least quarterly
Short Summary

The facility's Medical Director failed to attend two of five reviewed quarterly QAPI meetings. Surveyors found no MD signature on the QAPI sign-in sheets for two quarterly meetings, and the LNHA acknowledged there was no evidence the MD attended either meeting. The facility's QAPI policy listed department heads as committee members but did not list the MD as a QAPI member.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
Failure to Hold Required QAA Meetings
C
F0868 F868: Have the Quality Assessment and Assurance group have the required members and meet at least quarterly
Short Summary

Failure to Hold Required QAA Meetings: The facility failed to conduct QAA meetings at least quarterly with all required committee members for three of four quarterly meetings. The NHA was unable to locate QAPI sign-in sheets for the review period, and later confirmed the facility did not meet the required QAA meeting schedule.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
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