F0727 F727: Have a registered nurse on duty 8 hours a day; and select a registered nurse to be the director of nurses on a full time basis.
F

Lack of Required RN Coverage

Southwest Medical Center SnfLiberal, Kansas Survey Completed on 04-22-2026

Summary

The facility failed to provide eight consecutive hours of RN staff daily for residents. The 08/05/25 Facility Assessment stated that staffing was based on resident population and needs, with a nurse-to-resident ratio of six residents to one RN and one CNA, and that an additional LPN could be used if resident numbers increased. The nursing schedule for 10/01/25 through 12/31/25 showed no scheduled RN coverage on Thursday 11/13/25, Sunday 11/20/25, and Saturday 12/20/25. During interviews, Administrative Nurse E confirmed the lack of scheduled RN coverage and stated there was no auditable or verifiable evidence that he worked as the RN on duty for eight consecutive hours on the weekend days, and he was not listed or identified on the schedule or staff postings for RN coverage. He also stated he was off on 11/13/25 and that the house coordinator for the hospital would have covered, but that person was not on the Skilled Nursing Unit for eight consecutive hours. Administrative Nurse D stated she expected the Skilled Nursing Unit to have a scheduled RN for the required eight consecutive hours daily. The facility policy dated 05/2025 stated the minimal staffing required was RN coverage for 12 hours a day, 7 days a week, and that on any shift there would be either an RN or LPN.

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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See other F0727 citations
Failure to Maintain Required RN Coverage
F
F0727 F727: Have a registered nurse on duty 8 hours a day; and select a registered nurse to be the director of nurses on a full time basis.
Short Summary

Failure to Maintain Required RN Coverage: The facility did not have an RN in the building for at least 8 consecutive hours a day, 7 days a week on multiple dates. Administrative Nurse D verified that no RN was present for the required coverage or serving as charge nurse on those dates, despite the facility policy requiring daily RN coverage and a full-time DON.

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 Maintain Required RN Coverage
E
F0727 F727: Have a registered nurse on duty 8 hours a day; and select a registered nurse to be the director of nurses on a full time basis.
Short Summary

Failure to Maintain Required RN Coverage: The facility failed to ensure an RN was on duty for at least 8 consecutive hours a day, 7 days a week on multiple reviewed days. Daily HR reports showed zero RN hours worked on several dates, and both the DON and ADM stated they could not explain why RN coverage was absent, while acknowledging the requirement for daily RN coverage and the administrator's responsibility for staffing.

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.
RN and DON Coverage Not Maintained
F
F0727 F727: Have a registered nurse on duty 8 hours a day; and select a registered nurse to be the director of nurses on a full time basis.
Short Summary

RN and DON Coverage Not Maintained: The facility failed to ensure an RN served as DON on a full-time basis and failed to maintain RN coverage for at least eight consecutive hours each day. Staffing schedules, timecards, and staff interviews showed no RN worked on two days and no DON was present for several days. Interviews also confirmed the DON coverage was intermittent, with one RN serving only on limited days and another stating she had no documentation showing she worked in the facility after the prior DON left.

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.
Lack of Documented Daily RN Coverage
F
F0727 F727: Have a registered nurse on duty 8 hours a day; and select a registered nurse to be the director of nurses on a full time basis.
Short Summary

Lack of Documented Daily RN Coverage: Surveyors found that the facility did not have documented RN coverage scheduled for at least 8 consecutive hours per day, 7 days a week. Review of staffing postings showed multiple days without the required RN coverage, and the ANHA stated there were no other documents available to verify RN coverage. No policy was provided by the end of the survey.

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.
RN Coverage Not Maintained
F
F0727 F727: Have a registered nurse on duty 8 hours a day; and select a registered nurse to be the director of nurses on a full time basis.
Short Summary

RN Coverage Not Maintained: The facility failed to ensure RN services for at least 8 consecutive hours per day, 7 days a week. Time records showed missing RN coverage on multiple days, and the DON and ADM acknowledged that RN staffing hours were absent at times. The facility policy required RN coverage and allowed DON hours to count toward the requirement.

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.
RN Coverage Not Maintained as Required
F
F0727 F727: Have a registered nurse on duty 8 hours a day; and select a registered nurse to be the director of nurses on a full time basis.
Short Summary

RN Coverage Not Maintained as Required: The facility failed to maintain RN coverage for at least 8 consecutive hours per day. Record review showed multiple days with no RN in the building within a 24-hour period and other days with less than 8 consecutive hours of RN coverage. Interviews confirmed the Staffing Coordinator and DON leadership understood the coverage expectation differently, and the facility sometimes relied on an on-call RN to come in if issues arose.

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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