Staff Acceptance of Resident Funds for Personal Food Purchases
Penalty
Summary
The deficiency involves facility staff accepting and using a resident’s personal funds to purchase food for themselves while accompanying the resident out on pass. The resident involved had diagnoses including sensorineural hearing loss, cognitive communication deficit, and focal traumatic brain injury with loss of consciousness. According to the resident’s admission record and subsequent progress notes, the resident reported that the facility driver and a Restorative Nurse Assistant (RNA) used his own money to buy food during an outing. Interdisciplinary team documentation and care plan entries identified an allegation of financial abuse, noting that the resident stated the driver and RNA used his money to buy food. A facility form titled “Patient Loss/Refund Request Form” recorded that staff members used the resident’s debit card to purchase a lunch meal in the amount of $63.77, and a restaurant receipt showed a total of $63.77 paid in cash with change given. Interviews with leadership, including the Director of Staff Development, Social Services Director, and Assistant DON, confirmed that staff were not allowed to have access to residents’ money or cards and were not permitted to accept gifts, compensation, or food from residents, even if offered. These leaders acknowledged that in this incident the driver and RNA accepted the resident’s offer to buy them food and used the resident’s funds for that purpose. Interviews with the driver and RNA provided additional detail about the events. They stated that they transported the resident to a bank, a phone provider store, a restaurant, and a retail store. Both reported that the resident said he was hungry, offered to treat them with food, and gave the RNA $100 in cash to place the order at a local restaurant. After seeing the receipt and change, the resident became upset about the cost and cancelled part of the order, later complaining that staff had used his money to buy food. The Administrator confirmed that the resident told her he had offered to get food for staff but did not know how much it would cost and became upset when he saw the amount. Facility policy on Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation and the Code of Conduct identified misappropriation of patient funds as prohibited conduct, and staff acknowledged that by accepting food purchased with the resident’s money, they violated facility policy regarding misappropriation and acceptance of gifts.
We Help Long-Term Care Teams Stay Survey-Ready
We process and analyze inspection reports and plan of correction using AI to extract insights and trends so providers can improve care quality and stay ahead of compliance risks.