Failure to Report and Investigate Allegation of Misappropriation
Penalty
Summary
The deficiency involves the facility’s failure to timely report an allegation of misappropriation of a resident’s funds to the state agency and to initiate an investigation. The resident involved had diagnoses including malignant carcinoid tumor of the bronchus and lung, COPD, malignant neoplasm of the liver, depressive disorder, neoplasm of the brain, and anxiety, and was documented as having intact cognition on a recent quarterly MDS. On one morning, nursing documentation showed the resident was in his room going through his belongings, then moved into the hallway with belongings on his rollator, loudly stating he was leaving, that his accounts were hacked, and that all his money was stolen. The resident was yelling, not redirectable, and ultimately shoved his belongings to the ground and attempted to leave through the front doors while the hospice nurse and a facility nurse followed. Police and EMS were called, and the resident became combative with officers and was arrested. Review of the facility’s Self-Reported Incidents through the day after the event showed that no SRI had been submitted to the state agency regarding the resident’s allegation of misappropriation, and no investigation into the allegation had been started. The DON acknowledged the resident had called the sheriff and reported his account had been hacked, and confirmed the resident was combative with an officer and arrested, but did not indicate that an abuse/misappropriation report or investigation had been initiated. The Administrator stated she was not informed that the resident had alleged his account was hacked or that his money was stolen, and verified that no SRI had been submitted, stating she would have filed one if she had been aware. In contrast, the ADON reported that on the day of the incident the resident stated his account was hacked and his money was gone, and that this allegation was reported to the Administrator, DON, and Regional on call. Facility policy required that all alleged violations involving abuse, neglect, exploitation, or misappropriation of resident property be reported within required timeframes and investigated, which did not occur in this case.
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