Failure to Report New Allegation of Abuse
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to report a new allegation of abuse for one resident who was admitted with diagnoses including paranoid schizophrenia and delusional disorder, and who was cognitively intact and dependent for transfers. The resident reported to hospital staff that she had been sexually abused while at the facility and requested a transfer upon discharge. The hospital case manager notified the facility of this new allegation, which reportedly occurred two to three weeks prior to the resident's hospitalization, and the resident was unable to identify the perpetrator. Despite being informed of the new allegation, facility leadership, including the Administrator and DON, did not report it to authorities, stating that a similar allegation had been reported by the resident several months earlier. The facility's abuse policy requires all allegations of abuse to be reported in a timely manner according to state and federal guidelines, but this policy was not followed in this instance.