F0868 F868: Have the Quality Assessment and Assurance group have the required members and meet at least quarterly
F

QAPI Committee Lacked Required Member Participation

Norwood HealthcareNorwood, Massachusetts Survey Completed on 02-09-2026

Summary

The facility failed to maintain a Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement (QAPI) Committee with the required members attending and participating in its quarterly meetings. The facility policy stated the QAPI Committee was to meet quarterly and include the Medical Director, Administrator, DON, Infection Preventionist, and two other staff members. Review of the quarterly sign-in sheets for 2025 showed the DON was present at the April meeting, when he also served as the IP, and that the DON and ADON/IP were present at the July and October meetings. During interviews, the ADON/IP stated she had not attended a QAPI meeting since being hired about six months earlier and said the IP should be part of the QAPI process. The Administrator stated he could not speak to the meetings or attendance because he had no meeting minutes and could only refer to the sign-in sheets, and he said he was not hired until November 2025. The ADON stated she was not employed at the facility for the April meeting and said the previous Administrator would write up QAPI and have her sign the attendance sheet, but that there were never any meetings to discuss QAPI plans or projects. The DON stated that although he had attended and participated in QAPI meetings in the past as an ADON, since becoming DON in 2025 he had never attended a QAPI meeting and said the previous Administrator just had staff sign the paper without any meetings or discussion of projects.

Penalty

Inspection fine: $23,611
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The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.

Resources

Below are regulatory guidelines relevant to this citation:

See other F0868 citations
Failure to Hold Quarterly QAPI Meetings
F
F0868 F868: Have the Quality Assessment and Assurance group have the required members and meet at least quarterly
Short Summary

The facility failed to ensure QAPI meetings were held quarterly. Requested meeting minutes were not fully provided, and the DON stated the January meeting was not held, a planned reschedule did not occur, and fall meeting notes could not be opened or were never resent. The QAPI Plan stated concerns, updates, or changes are to be reviewed at quarterly meetings.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
Medical Director Did Not Participate in Quarterly QAA Meetings
E
F0868 F868: Have the Quality Assessment and Assurance group have the required members and meet at least quarterly
Short Summary

Medical Director Did Not Participate in Quarterly QAA Meetings: The facility failed to ensure the Medical Director took part in quarterly QAA meetings. Record review showed no documentation of the Medical Director attending any QAA program meetings over several months, and both the Administrator and the previous Medical Director confirmed the absence of attendance.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
QAA Committee Missing Required IPC Member
F
F0868 F868: Have the Quality Assessment and Assurance group have the required members and meet at least quarterly
Short Summary

The facility did not maintain a QAA committee with the required members. The policy required the DON, Medical Director, Administrator, at least two other staff members, and the infection control and prevention officer, but the QA/QAPI attendance sheets did not include an IPC at two quarterly meetings. The NHA acknowledged that the IPC does not always attend and should attend the meetings, and the DON stated she was not certified in infection prevention and control.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
QAPI Committee Failed to Meet Quarterly and Lacked Required Member
D
F0868 F868: Have the Quality Assessment and Assurance group have the required members and meet at least quarterly
Short Summary

QAPI committee attendance records showed the facility did not hold a meeting during the first quarter and that the Infection Preventionist did not attend the documented meeting. The NHA confirmed the findings during interview.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
Failure to Hold Required QAA Meetings
D
F0868 F868: Have the Quality Assessment and Assurance group have the required members and meet at least quarterly
Short Summary

Failure to hold required QAA meetings. Review of QAA attendance records showed only one committee meeting in one quarter and one meeting in a later quarter, and the NHA confirmed the facility did not conduct QAA meetings at least quarterly with all required committee members.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
QAPI Committee Lacked Documented Infection Preventionist Attendance
D
F0868 F868: Have the Quality Assessment and Assurance group have the required members and meet at least quarterly
Short Summary

QAPI Committee Lacked Required IP Attendance: The facility failed to document that the Infection Preventionist attended QAPI meetings on a quarterly basis. Policies identified infection prevention as part of the QAPI process, but attendance records showed no documented evidence that the IP was present at the meetings, and the Administrator and Regional Administrator stated they knew the requirement but did not know why the IP had not attended.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
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