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Brooklyn’s Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing was fined $24,000 in August 2011 for several incidents that placed its residents in immediate jeopardy, according to the Department of Health. These four violations were cited amongst numerous other less serious offenses in the survey taken in January of the previous year.
The major citations contained in the report were for:
- Employing persons guilty of abuse;
- Failing to provide necessary care for the highest practicable well-being;
- Failing to administer the facility effectively to obtain the highest practicable well-being; and
- Failing to promptly notify physicians of lab results.
The report details several instances in which the facility did not address and/or monitor patients’ labs, when monitoring would have uncovered inconsistencies with physicians’ orders and medications received. The report details inconsistent documentation, improper administration of medications contrary to physicians’ orders, and resultant patient hospitalizations. Importantly, as noted in the DOH report, complete investigations were not performed to determine why these mistakes were made.
As the provision in the CFR states, “The facility must have evidence that all alleged violations are thoroughly investigated, and must prevent further potential abuse while the investigation is in progress.” The DOH felt that these incidents were not properly investigated, and as such, the second aspect of the requirement (preventing further abuse while the investigation is pending), could not have been fulfilled.
The other major violations reported in this report also stem from incidents involving the faulty reporting/investigating performed by the facility. Several other, less serious offenses can be found in the report itself at this link.
