F0868 F868: Have the Quality Assessment and Assurance group have the required members and meet at least quarterly
E

QAA Meeting Attendance Deficiency

Laurens Care CenterLaurens, Iowa Survey Completed on 04-16-2026

Summary

The facility failed to ensure all required members attended the quarterly Quality Assessment and Assurance (QAA) meetings. Review of QAPI meeting attendance sign-in sheets from March 2025 through April 2026 showed that all required team members had not attended a quarterly QAA meeting since 5/27/25. During an interview on 4/15/26 at 12:40 PM, the DON acknowledged that not all required team members had attended the QAA meeting quarterly and stated that staff turnover and leadership changes had affected attendance. She also said the Infection Preventionist had sometimes been required to work on the floor as a charge nurse and therefore had not always been able to attend the meetings. The facility’s QAPI Plan, updated 3/1/26, stated the facility would meet monthly to discuss ongoing or new issues in the nursing home, and identified the required participants as the Administrator, DON, MDS Coordinator, Infection Preventionist, Medical Director at minimum every 3 months, Activity Director, Social Worker, and Dietary Manager.

Penalty

No penalty information released
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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

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QAA Committee Attendance and Documentation Deficiencies
E
F0868 F868: Have the Quality Assessment and Assurance group have the required members and meet at least quarterly
Short Summary

QAA Committee Attendance and Documentation Deficiencies: The facility failed to maintain and account for scheduled QAA meetings. Record review and interviews showed missing attendance forms for several months, the ADON identified as the QAA lead was absent from multiple meetings, and the QAA/QAPI binder contained some data without a documented plan or leadership, with no data for the final months reviewed.

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.
QAPI Committee Lacked Required Attendance and Infection Control Reporting
F
F0868 F868: Have the Quality Assessment and Assurance group have the required members and meet at least quarterly
Short Summary

QAPI committee meetings did not consistently include the required members or designees, and infection control information was not reliably presented. Meeting minutes showed the Administrator and Medical Director were absent from some meetings without designees, and the DON/IP did not provide documented infection control tracking even though a COVID outbreak had occurred. Interviews confirmed that when the minutes stated no new concerns, infection control tracking and the outbreak were not discussed.

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.
QAPI Committee Lacked Required MD Participation
E
F0868 F868: Have the Quality Assessment and Assurance group have the required members and meet at least quarterly
Short Summary

QAPI Committee Lacked Required MD Participation: The facility failed to maintain a QAPI committee with the required members because the MD, or a representative, did not attend multiple QAPI meetings reviewed. Record review showed no evidence of MD attendance at the meetings, and the ADM stated she expected the MD to attend and did not know why he had not been present. The facility policy required an ongoing, facility-wide, data-driven QAPI program focused on resident outcomes and quality of life.

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.
QAA Committee Lacked Required Medical Director Participation
D
F0868 F868: Have the Quality Assessment and Assurance group have the required members and meet at least quarterly
Short Summary

The facility failed to ensure the Medical Director or designee attended a QAA Committee meeting. The attendance sheet showed the Medical Director was absent, and the ADMIN stated no additional documentation explained the absence. The facility's QAPI policy required the committee to include the Medical Director or designee.

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.
Medical Director Did Not Attend Required QAPI Meetings
D
F0868 F868: Have the Quality Assessment and Assurance group have the required members and meet at least quarterly
Short Summary

The facility's Medical Director failed to attend two of five reviewed quarterly QAPI meetings. Surveyors found no MD signature on the QAPI sign-in sheets for two quarterly meetings, and the LNHA acknowledged there was no evidence the MD attended either meeting. The facility's QAPI policy listed department heads as committee members but did not list the MD as a QAPI member.

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 Hold Required QAA Meetings
C
F0868 F868: Have the Quality Assessment and Assurance group have the required members and meet at least quarterly
Short Summary

Failure to Hold Required QAA Meetings: The facility failed to conduct QAA meetings at least quarterly with all required committee members for three of four quarterly meetings. The NHA was unable to locate QAPI sign-in sheets for the review period, and later confirmed the facility did not meet the required QAA meeting schedule.

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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