Could your facility get an F (tag that is) for not knowing the answers to these questions?
Knowing the correct responses to these questions can go a long way to avoiding abuse tags, say survey experts. Check your answers in the May 2005 Long-Term Care Survey Alert.
True or false?
1. Federal requirements for abuse reporting and investigations supercede less stringent state ones.
2. A facility has 10 working days to investigate an allegation of abuse and report its preliminary findings to the state survey agency and other agencies designated by state law.
3. Facilities should exclude employees from the facility who are accused of abuse or suspected of intentionally causing an injury of unknown source pending outcome of an investigation.
4. Surveyors can cite a facility if nursing staff can't tell them the internal abuse reporting protocol.