F0609 F609: Timely report suspected abuse, neglect, or theft and report the results of the investigation to proper authorities.
D

Failure to Timely Report Alleged Misappropriation of Resident Funds

Sandstone Of Tucson Rehab CentreTucson, Arizona Survey Completed on 04-03-2026

Summary

The deficiency involves the facility’s failure to timely report an allegation of misappropriation of a resident’s funds to all mandated entities and within required timeframes. A complaint received by the state agency on February 11, 2026, alleged that a resident was missing a wallet containing $2,000, a bank card, and identification, and that the resident’s son had identified a recurring charge of about $800 per month on the account. The complaint also stated that the facility assisted the family in canceling the bank card. Facility records showed that the incident was initially reported to facility staff on December 16, 2025, indicating a significant delay between the initial report and notification to the state agency. The resident involved was first admitted in September 2024 and re-admitted later with diagnoses including vascular dementia (mild) with psychotic disturbance, delirium due to a known physiological condition, gram‑negative sepsis, and type 2 diabetes mellitus with hyperglycemia and a foot ulcer. An admission MDS with a BIMS score of 03 indicated severe cognitive impairment. Despite the son’s report on December 16, 2025, of unexplained financial charges and concerns about missing funds, review of the resident’s progress notes and the facility’s grievance records from April 2025 to January 2026 revealed no documentation of the missing funds or misappropriation concerns at that time. A late-entry Social Services note dated February 10, 2026, documented that Social Services was notified of concerns regarding a missing wallet and bank card and that an APS intake was completed in accordance with mandatory reporting requirements. A typed Social Services Incident Timeline provided by the facility stated that on December 16, 2025, the resident’s son met with Social Services to report concerns about financial charges, that Social Services contacted the Business Office for clarification, and that the son intended to cancel the card. The report also indicated that an interdisciplinary discussion occurred and that potential financial exploitation would be reported to APS. However, there was no evidence in the clinical record that the state agency or the Administrator were notified of the December 16, 2025 allegation, despite facility policy requiring all allegations or suspicions of abuse, including financial abuse and misappropriation, to be reported immediately to the Administrator and to appropriate state agencies, with a final investigation report submitted within five working days. During interviews, the Administrator and DON acknowledged that staff are expected to report such incidents immediately and that failing to report delays the response and investigation process.

Penalty

Inspection fine: $22,204
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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 F0609 citations
Failure to Report Allegation of Verbal Abuse
D
F0609 F609: Timely report suspected abuse, neglect, or theft and report the results of the investigation to proper authorities.
Short Summary

Failure to Report Allegation of Verbal Abuse: A resident with HTN, anxiety disorder, and hyperlipidemia reported that a staff member yelled at her during resident council. Facility records showed a nurse aide was disciplined and retrained on communication, but the allegation was not included in the abuse reports submitted to the State. The DON confirmed the required report was not filed.

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 Alleged Abuse
D
F0609 F609: Timely report suspected abuse, neglect, or theft and report the results of the investigation to proper authorities.
Short Summary

Failure to Timely Report Alleged Abuse: The facility did not report an allegation of abuse involving a cognitively intact resident with stroke, coordination, and anxiety diagnoses to HHSC within the required 2-hour timeframe. The resident alleged that an CNA had bullied her during a smoke break, and the Administrator acknowledged the report should have been made within 2 hours but was not submitted until later that day.

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 Report Allegations of Verbal Abuse and Involuntary Seclusion
D
F0609 F609: Timely report suspected abuse, neglect, or theft and report the results of the investigation to proper authorities.
Short Summary

Failure to Report Allegations of Verbal Abuse and Involuntary Seclusion: The facility did not report multiple grievances involving an RN and an LPN to the SA, including resident complaints of rude and disrespectful comments, yelling, scolding, and blocking residents from entering their rooms when they tried to self-transfer. Documentation showed incomplete grievance investigations, delayed administrator sign-off, and no timely reporting of the allegations as verbal abuse or involuntary seclusion.

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 Report Suspected Abuse and Unexplained Injury
D
F0609 F609: Timely report suspected abuse, neglect, or theft and report the results of the investigation to proper authorities.
Short Summary

A resident reported being frightened after another resident repeatedly entered the room, grabbed belongings, and acted aggressively, but the concern was not reported to the SA within 2 hours. In a separate incident, a cognitively intact resident returned from the ER with a minor labial tear/perineal laceration and minimal bleeding, yet the DON and administrator did not treat it as reportable abuse or an injury of unknown source and did not investigate it.

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 Report Alleged Mistreatment During Hair Grooming
D
F0609 F609: Timely report suspected abuse, neglect, or theft and report the results of the investigation to proper authorities.
Short Summary

A facility failed to report an alleged mistreatment during a resident’s hair grooming to the State Agency within the required timeframe. The resident had dementia, depression, severe cognitive impairment, and was dependent on staff for grooming and hygiene. Records showed a matted area of hair was removed, leaving a reddened scalp, and staff later described the event as an abuse allegation that should have been reported.

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 Injury of Unknown Origin
D
F0609 F609: Timely report suspected abuse, neglect, or theft and report the results of the investigation to proper authorities.
Short Summary

Failure to Timely Report Injury of Unknown Origin: A resident with dementia and multiple medical diagnoses developed unexplained right elbow swelling, redness, warmth, and pain, later found to be a dislocation with fracture. An LPN notified the NP, DON, and family and a STAT x-ray was ordered, but the initial report to IDPH was not made within the required two-hour timeframe after the injury of unknown origin was identified.

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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