Failure to Report Alleged Misappropriation of Resident Medication
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to report an allegation of misappropriation of resident property involving a resident who was admitted with multiple medical conditions, including chronic pain, major depressive disorder, and moderate cognitive impairment. Upon admission, the resident's pain medication had not arrived from the pharmacy, so her husband brought in her prescribed Hydrocodone-Acetaminophen from home. The medication was not administered, and there was a dispute between the LPN and the resident's husband regarding whether the medication was returned. The LPN claimed to have returned the medication and provided a signed receipt, but the husband denied receiving the medication and stated he did not sign the receipt. The administrator and DON confirmed that the signature on the receipt did not match the husband's signature. Despite the conflicting accounts and the involvement of a controlled substance, the facility did not initiate a self-reported incident or conduct an investigation into the alleged misappropriation. Interviews with CNAs indicated they were aware of the situation and had observed questionable handling of narcotic medications by the LPN. The facility did not document the incident in the accident and incident log, did not notify authorities, and did not follow its own policy requiring prompt reporting and investigation of abuse, neglect, or misappropriation. No action was taken to suspend the employee or report the incident to the appropriate agencies.