Failure to Prevent and Report Misappropriation of Resident Property
Penalty
Summary
A cognitively intact resident with a diagnosis of flaccid hemiplegia reported that her antenna, which was magnetically mounted outside her room, was stolen while she was napping. Another resident stated that they witnessed a staff member, identified as the Wound Care Nurse/PM Supervisor, cut the wires and take the antenna. The resident reported the missing antenna to the Administrator, who indicated he would replace it, but the antenna was not replaced. The Administrator later discovered that the replacement order had been cancelled by Corporate, and the whereabouts of the original antenna remained unknown. The facility's investigation into the misappropriation of property was incomplete, and the incident was not reported to the State of Wisconsin as required by facility policy. The accused staff member denied involvement, stating they were not present at the facility when the incident occurred. The facility's policy mandates reporting allegations or suspicions of misappropriation to the state survey agency, but this was not followed in this case.