Failure to Complete Annual Employee Misconduct and Nurse Aide Registry Screenings
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to implement its written policies and procedures to prohibit and prevent abuse, neglect, and exploitation by not completing the required annual Employee Misconduct Registry (EMR) and Nurse Aide Registry (NAR) screenings for one licensed vocational nurse (LVN). According to the facility's policy, all employees must be screened annually for any history of abuse, neglect, exploitation, or misappropriation of resident property by accessing the appropriate registries. However, record review and interview with the HR Coordinator revealed that the last annual EMR and NAR screening for the LVN in question was completed over a year prior to the review, and the subsequent screening was not performed until after the oversight was discovered. This lapse in following established screening procedures meant that the facility did not ensure ongoing compliance with its own abuse prevention policies and state requirements. The failure to conduct timely annual registry checks could have resulted in the continued employment of an individual who may have been listed for abuse, neglect, or exploitation, thereby not upholding the residents' right to be free from such mistreatment as outlined in the facility's policy.