Failure to Bag Soiled Linen During Transport
Penalty
No penalty information released
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.
Summary
During a random observation, an unidentified staff member was seen transporting unbagged soiled towels in her ungloved hands down the rehabilitation hall to the soiled linen room. According to an interview with the infection prevention coordinator, facility protocol requires that soiled linen be bagged before removal from residents' rooms and remain bagged during transport to the laundry room. Review of both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention standards and the facility's own Infection Prevention and Control Program policy confirmed that soiled laundry should be bagged prior to transport to prevent the spread of infection. The observed staff action did not comply with these established procedures.