Failure to Timely Report Misappropriation of Resident Property and Notify APS
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to implement its abuse policy and procedure regarding timely reporting of suspected misappropriation of a resident's property. Specifically, the facility did not report an allegation of missing narcotics belonging to a resident to the State Agency within the required timeframe, and also failed to notify Adult Protective Services (APS) as required by policy. The facility became aware of the missing medication, which consisted of 53 tablets of Oxycodone 5 mg, but delayed reporting the incident to the State Agency until three days after initial awareness. The report to APS was not made at all, despite the policy requiring notification for such allegations. The investigation confirmed that the narcotics were missing and could not be located within the facility. The incident involved a nurse who was subsequently named in the investigation and terminated. The facility did notify law enforcement and the nursing board, but the required notifications to the State Agency and APS were either delayed or omitted. The administrator stated that the delay in reporting was due to uncertainty about whether the narcotics were actually missing, and the lack of APS notification was attributed to the belief that the resident was not directly affected.