Failure to Timely Report and Investigate Misappropriation of Resident Property
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to implement its Abuse Policy regarding the timely reporting and investigation of an alleged misappropriation of money for one resident. The resident's daughter reported missing envelopes of money on two separate occasions to the Social Service Director, who notified the administrator. However, there was a delay in reporting the allegations to the Director of Nursing and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH). The Director of Nursing stated she was not informed of the missing money until six days after the initial allegation, during a morning meeting, and confirmed that no investigation or report to IDPH had occurred prior to her being notified. Facility policy requires that all allegations of abuse, neglect, exploitation, or misappropriation of resident property be reported immediately to the administrator and state agencies, and that an immediate investigation be initiated. In this case, the policy was not followed, as the allegations were not promptly reported or investigated. The documentation shows that the required notifications and investigation were delayed, contrary to the facility's written procedures.