Failure to Thoroughly Investigate and Document Resident Grievances
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to appropriately record and investigate grievances to ensure timely resolution for one resident. The resident, who was cognitively intact and had a history of fractures and an artificial ankle joint, had two grievances filed on her behalf. While the first grievance was addressed with solutions offered, the second grievance regarding customer service by a CNA and a nurse was not thoroughly investigated. The investigation included a statement from the CNA but omitted a statement from the nurse involved. The DON, responsible for the investigation, confirmed that she did not interview the nurse, focusing only on the CNA's actions, and acknowledged that the investigation was incomplete as not all parties were given the opportunity to provide input. Additionally, the resident's son reported that the facility did not respond to his complaint about a bill received after his mother's discharge. The BOM confirmed that there was a lack of collaboration between the business office and Social Services regarding the resident's coverage status, which led to unresolved billing concerns. The Administrator acknowledged that a grievance form was not initiated for the billing complaint, despite policy requiring all grievances to be documented and investigated. The facility's policy emphasized prompt efforts to resolve grievances and thorough investigations involving all relevant parties, which was not followed in these instances.