Failure to Employ Qualified Infection Preventionist and Ensure Proper Precautions
Penalty
Summary
Facility staff failed to employ a qualified infection preventionist (IP) with the required training prior to assuming the role, as evidenced by staff interviews and document review. On multiple occasions, surveyors observed residents requiring enhanced barrier precautions (EBP) and/or transmission-based precautions (TBP) without proper notification, signage, or personal protective equipment (PPE) available to staff, residents, or visitors. During an interview, the interim administrator and interim director of nursing confirmed that the previous IP left employment and that they were acting as IPs without the necessary certification. Although an LPN on staff held an IP certification from 2022, she did not perform the IP role at the facility. The facility provided evidence of staff education on infection control procedures and a job description for the IP position, which only required the ability to obtain certification, but no further information was provided.