Unattended PHI Document Left Exposed at Nurse’s Station
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors identified a deficiency in the facility’s protection of residents’ personal health information (PHI) when a document containing multiple residents’ full names, assigned room numbers, and code status was left unattended and exposed on the south nurse’s station counter. On 03/16/26 at 9:04 a.m., an observation revealed a piece of paper on a clipboard with complete resident information placed on top of the south nurse’s counter in public view. At 9:06 a.m., during an interview, RN #2 confirmed that the list contained residents’ names, room numbers, and code status, acknowledged that it had been left exposed and unattended, and stated that PHI should not be left unattended. No additional clinical details or medical histories of the residents listed on the document were provided in the report.
