F0835 F835: Administer the facility in a manner that enables it to use its resources effectively and efficiently.
F

Administrative Oversight Failures Across Abuse Prevention, Infection Control, Housekeeping, Dietary Services, and Activities

Beartooth Rehabilitation And Nursing LlcColumbus, Montana Survey Completed on 02-10-2026

Summary

The facility failed to provide effective administrative oversight of day-to-day operations related to abuse prevention, infection control, housekeeping, dietary services, and activities. Review of facility-reported incidents showed resident #27 was verbally mistreated by other residents in the dining room, resident #28 reported inappropriate and unwanted touching by another resident, and resident #37 reported inappropriate and unwanted touching by another resident. The facility also reported that resident #46 eloped from the facility on five separate occasions without resident-specific interventions, monitoring, or oversight being put into place to prevent repeated elopements. During interviews, staff member A stated she was responsible for initial abuse and neglect reporting and submission to the electronic abuse reporting system, but did not recall why reports for the incidents involving residents #28 and #37 were submitted late. Staff member A also stated she had instructed staff not to document resident #17's behaviors as sexual behaviors, and to only document them in the electronic medical record and care plan, after two incidents in which resident #17 touched residents #28 and #37 in a sexually inappropriate manner. Staff member B stated the final investigation reports related to resident #46's elopements were submitted late. Staff member A also stated the investigation findings for the incident involving resident #27 were turned in late because she was working as a cook in the kitchen to cover an immediate staffing need. The facility also failed to ensure pre-employment TB screening was tracked and completed for new employees. Staff member A stated she did not know whether TB screening was occurring for newly hired employees, referred to the screenings as the nurses' responsibility, and acknowledged she was ultimately responsible but had not developed a system with the DON or infection control nurse to document, administer, or track the screenings. In addition, resident #30 missed appointments because they were scheduled when the facility did not have a van or driver, and staff member A stated she had forgotten to reschedule once transportation was available. Resident #30 also reported missed appointments and inconsistent room cleaning, while staff described repeated concerns about shortages of food, supplies, and toiletries, a missed resident pickup from an appointment, and a new admission arriving without necessary supplies because the administrator had not communicated it to staff. Observations showed residents #9 and #29 had unclean floors, with heavy stains, garbage, and food debris in their rooms. Both residents stated housekeeping did not move furniture or clean thoroughly. Staff member A stated the facility had experienced census growth but had not made changes to housekeeping staffing to meet the increased need. The facility also lacked adequate oversight of dietary services, as staff member S stated she only did ordering and did not provide oversight to dietary staff or the manager, and she was not aware she was expected to provide such oversight. Staff member A acknowledged the facility was not surprised by resident complaints about activities and stated the activity director had only recently started, while the residents complained that the activities offered did not meet their needs.

Penalty

Inspection fine: $32,98841 days payment denial
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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 F0835 citations
Failure to Protect a Known Elopement Risk
D
F0835 F835: Administer the facility in a manner that enables it to use its resources effectively and efficiently.
Short Summary

The NHA and DON failed to manage the facility effectively to protect a resident known to be at risk for elopement. A resident exited the assigned nursing unit unsupervised, and the report states this created an Immediate Jeopardy situation for one of fourteen residents documented as elopement risks. The NHA and DON confirmed the administrative failure 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.
Ineffective Administration Affecting Falls, Staffing, Nutrition, Immunizations, and Abuse Prevention
F
F0835 F835: Administer the facility in a manner that enables it to use its resources effectively and efficiently.
Short Summary

Ineffective administration led to multiple failures in fall management, staffing, nutrition, immunization education, and abuse prevention. The facility did not follow fall interventions or complete accurate fall assessments and investigations, and two residents sustained serious injuries, including rib fractures and a thoracic burst fracture after an improper transfer. The report also cites inadequate RN coverage, insufficient staffing, missed dialysis transport, inaccurate documentation, falsified bathing records, failure to provide snacks and adaptive equipment, and abuse-related issues including verbal abuse and misappropriation of resident funds and property.

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 Timely Report Abuse and Neglect Allegations
E
F0835 F835: Administer the facility in a manner that enables it to use its resources effectively and efficiently.
Short Summary

Failure to Timely Report Abuse and Neglect Allegations: The facility failed to maintain an effective system for timely reporting allegations of abuse and neglect after a prior F609 citation for the same issue. Surveyors found nine late reports involving multiple residents, and staff and the administrator acknowledged ongoing difficulty tracking when reports were due, with most late reports occurring during the monitoring period after the earlier deficiency.

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 Protect Resident from Elopement
J
F0835 F835: Administer the facility in a manner that enables it to use its resources effectively and efficiently.
Short Summary

A resident with dementia and wandering tendencies was not protected from elopement after staff failed to follow instructions to place a Wander Guard and move him to the Secured Memory Unit. The resident was seen in the lobby, later could not be located, and was found miles from the facility after leaving unsupervised; the front entry door also lacked an operational Wander Guard system.

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 Ensure Supervision and Elopement Prevention
D
F0835 F835: Administer the facility in a manner that enables it to use its resources effectively and efficiently.
Short Summary

Failure to Ensure Supervision and Elopement Prevention: The facility failed to consistently supervise and maintain safety interventions to prevent elopement for residents. Review of records, job descriptions, and staff interviews showed the NHA and DON did not effectively manage the facility to ensure proper supervision and elopement prevention interventions were implemented, and they failed to fulfill their essential duties to ensure federal and state guidelines and regulations were followed.

Inspection fine: $14,385
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.
Unqualified Social Service Director Hired
F
F0835 F835: Administer the facility in a manner that enables it to use its resources effectively and efficiently.
Short Summary

Unqualified Social Service Director Hired: The facility failed to ensure the Social Service Director met the stated qualification of a bachelor's degree and 1 year of social services experience. The Administrator stated the current SSD was still in school and had not completed her degree, while a behavioral health director with a degree only helped with social services at times and was not the SSD. The job description and facility policy did not align with current regulatory requirements, and the facility census was 182 residents.

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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