F0609

D

Failure to Timely Report Elopement-Related Neglect to State Agency

Dallas, Texas Survey Completed on 02-06-2026

Penalty

Fine: $12,740

Summary

The deficiency involves the facility’s failure to timely report alleged neglect related to elopement to the State Agency within 24 hours, and failure to report subsequent actual elopements. A male resident with diagnoses including cerebral infarction, osteoarthritis, and a documented dementia diagnosis in the care plan was admitted in October 2025 and discharged in December 2025. His care plan, initiated and revised in October and November 2025, identified him as at risk for elopement based on an Elopement Evaluation risk score, with impaired cognitive function/dementia, use of Donepezil for dementia, and psychiatric diagnoses including schizophrenia, depression, and anxiety. The care plan also documented that he was a potential safety risk when leaving the facility, with a history of leaving facilities independently and self-admitting to hospitals. However, the care plan revised on 11/27/2025 did not reflect his elopement attempt and actual elopements on 10/24/2025, 11/02/2025, and 11/26/2025.

Elopement risk evaluations showed inconsistencies and incomplete assessments. On 10/13/2025, the resident was assessed as a moderate elopement risk, cognitively impaired, and able to ambulate or propel himself. On 11/02/2025 and 11/27/2025, the evaluations were locked as completed but only the “No Risk” section was filled out, and questions that would have evaluated him as moderate or imminent risk were not completed, despite additional information stating he was at risk for elopement. These later evaluations also contained discrepancies regarding his ability to make decisions and ambulate. Progress notes documented that on 10/24/2025 security called nursing staff because the resident was at the gate wanting to go home; he was redirected back into the building and placed on two-hour monitoring. On 11/02/2025, notes described two episodes of elopement from the facility, aggressive and combative behavior when he insisted on leaving, inability to articulate a destination, involvement of police, and transfer to a psychiatric hospital, with notifications made to the physician, administrator, DON, and family.

Further documentation showed that on 11/26/2025 the resident again left the facility and independently checked himself into a local hospital, with no injuries reported. A subsequent progress note characterized this as consistent with his baseline pattern of independently leaving prior facilities and seeking his own care, and stated he was aware of his needs and able to make decisions regarding his care and safety. Psychiatry/therapy notes from November 2025 indicated he was referred for depression, confusion, elopement, adjustment disorder, and high-risk behavior, and described him as an unreliable historian who did not remember attempting to elope, disoriented to situation, and endorsing cognitive impairment symptoms such as decreased concentration and forgetfulness. Interviews with staff and family revealed that the resident had a history of dementia, wore a medical bracelet listing dementia and stroke, had previously left the facility through the gate or fence, and that family sometimes learned of his departures from him or from hospitals or police. The RNC reported striking out the dementia diagnosis on 11/27/2025 after a high BIMS score and discussion with the MD, who confirmed he discontinued the dementia diagnosis based on the BIMS score and was not aware of the resident’s exit-seeking or elopement behaviors.

Interviews with nursing staff, the DON, social worker, and the administrator clarified the facility’s internal reporting practices and the failure to report these elopements to the State. RN E stated that elopements were reportable to the State, that nurses did not report directly, and that the administrator was responsible for reporting. The previous social worker recalled the 11/26/2025 elopement, stating that facility staff notified the administrator that the resident was not in the facility, and she then located him at a local hospital and contacted the family. The DON stated that staff reported incidents to her and the administrator, and that the administrator was responsible for deciding if an incident was reportable to the State, emphasizing that reporting was important for regulatory compliance and resident safety. The administrator stated that he was responsible for reporting incidents, that elopements without injury were to be reported within 24 hours, and that staff were to report to him immediately so he could investigate. He also asserted that the 11/02/2025 notes were not accurate, that there were no elopements, and that the resident was not an elopement risk because of a high BIMS score and lack of dementia. The facility’s Abuse Prevention and Prohibition Program policy required reporting allegations of abuse, neglect, exploitation, and other qualifying incidents, including neglect, to the state survey agency and other authorities within 2 hours if involving abuse or serious bodily injury, and within 24 hours if not, and specified that failure to file reports within required time frames could result in disciplinary action. Despite these policies and the documented elopement-related events, the facility did not immediately report the alleged neglect and actual elopements to the State Agency within the required 24-hour timeframe.

The facility’s written policy designated the administrator as responsible for coordinating and implementing the abuse prevention program, including investigation and reporting of abuse, neglect, and related incidents. It specified that all mandated reporters must report reasonable suspicion of neglect and that the administrator would submit initial and follow-up written reports of investigations to appropriate agencies. Interviews with staff confirmed that they relied on the administrator to determine reportability and submit reports. However, in this case, the administrator did not report the resident’s elopement attempt and actual elopements as required, and instead disputed that elopements had occurred or that the resident was an elopement risk, despite documentation in progress notes, care plans, and interviews describing exit-seeking behavior, elopement episodes, and involvement of police and hospitals. This failure to follow the facility’s own abuse/neglect reporting policy and federal/state reporting requirements constituted the cited deficiency.