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.
E

RN Coverage Not Maintained on Scheduled Shifts

Cedar Falls Health Care CenterCedar Falls, Iowa Survey Completed on 07-30-2026

Summary

The facility failed to ensure an RN was in the facility for eight consecutive hours seven days a week. Based on review of nursing schedules, time detail reports, and staff interviews, the facility had shifts covered by LPNs on 5/24/26 and 7/5/26 without an RN scheduled. On 5/24/26, Staff D, an LPN, worked from 4:57 AM to 5:31 PM and Staff E, an LPN, worked from 4:55 PM to 5:26 AM the next day, and the schedule lacked an RN. On 7/5/26, Staff D, an LPN, worked from 5:02 AM to 5:20 PM and Staff F, an LPN, worked from 5:00 PM to 5:19 AM the next day, and the schedule again lacked an RN. The facility reported a census of 49 residents on 5/24/26 and 50 residents on 7/5/26, including 3 residents receiving Medicare Skilled services. The DON stated the facility was unable to hire nurses, and the Administrator stated the staffing agency did not notify the facility when an RN called off and that coverage was often obtained at the last minute.

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

Below are regulatory guidelines relevant to this citation:

See other F0727 citations
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

The facility failed to ensure RN coverage for at least 8 consecutive hours on 3 of 46 days reviewed. Review of the Direct Care Staff Daily Reports showed no required RN coverage on three dates, and the Administrator acknowledged the missing coverage.

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.
No Full-Time RN Director of Nursing
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

No full-time RN DON was designated in the facility. Staff, including an RN, an LPN, the ADON, and the Administrator, stated there was no current DON, and the Regional Nurses were not at the facility full time because they covered multiple facilities. The facility had 55 residents, all requiring skilled nursing services.

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

The facility failed to maintain RN coverage for at least 8 consecutive hours a day, 7 days a week. Review of the nursing schedule and staff time punches showed no RN present in the facility, and the Administrator confirmed he could not provide evidence that an RN worked the required 8 hours. The deficiency had the potential to affect all 95 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.
RN Coverage Not Provided for Required Daily Hours
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 Provided for Required Daily Hours: The facility failed to provide an RN for 8 consecutive hours per day, 7 days per week. The only RN on duty worked only a few hours on two days, and staff confirmed no agency RNs were used that weekend. Staff also stated there was no staffing policy and that the facility followed state regulations for staffing. The facility census documented 121 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.
Missed RN Coverage on Weekend Shifts
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

The facility failed to maintain RN coverage for at least 8 consecutive hours per day, 7 days a week. Record review showed no RN coverage on two weekend days, and the DON stated the usual weekend RN was on vacation and she could not cover those shifts. The Administrator stated the facility had no policy for RN coverage and deferred to HHSC regulations.

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 Provide 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 provide required RN coverage: The facility did not have an RN scheduled for at least 8 consecutive hours a day, 7 days a week as required by policy. Review of the staffing schedule showed multiple AM and PM shifts with no RN assigned, while the DON and ADM stated RNs were needed for rounds and had a broader scope of practice than LVNs. The facility had 62 residents at the time of review and a licensed capacity of 101 beds.

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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