Failure to Report Resident Elopement to State Survey Agency
Penalty
Summary
The deficiency involves the facility’s failure to report a resident elopement to the State Survey Agency as required by state law and by the facility’s own Wandering and Elopement Policy dated 11/15/2023. That policy directs that when a resident returns after an elopement, the DON or charge nurse must examine the resident, notify the attending physician, complete an incident/accident report, document the event in the medical record, and notify regulatory agencies per state guidelines. Record review showed that one resident, admitted on 01/09/2026, had multiple diagnoses including type 2 diabetes mellitus, cognitive communication deficit, aphasia, muscle wasting and atrophy, gait and mobility abnormalities, disorientation, unspecified dementia with anxiety, psychotic and mood disturbance, anxiety disorder, and essential hypertension. A Quarterly MDS documented a BIMS score of 4, indicating severely impaired cognition, and the resident was assessed as an elopement risk level 3 due to a history of attempted elopement at home, wandering with purpose in the facility, and exit-seeking behavior. Progress notes and interviews confirmed that on 02/08/2026 the resident was found outside the facility alone in the flower bed at the front of the building, bent over with hands in the dirt, by an oncoming nurse arriving for her shift. The LPN reported she parked her car, went to assist the resident, and alerted staff inside that the resident was outside alone. The resident’s responsible party similarly reported that the resident had been found outside alone in front of the facility on that date. During interview, the Administrator confirmed that the resident, who had dementia and a BIMS score of 4, had been found outside in the flower bed in front of the facility and acknowledged that this incident was not reported to the State Survey Agency, constituting a failure to report the elopement in accordance with state law and facility policy.
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