P5520

Staffing Deficiency in Nurse Aide Coverage

Emerald Nursing And RehabilitationElizabethtown, Pennsylvania Survey Completed on 12-17-2024

Summary

The facility failed to meet the required staffing levels as per the regulation effective July 1, 2024, which mandates a minimum of one nurse aide per 10 residents during the day and one nurse aide per 15 residents overnight. A review of the facility's staffing data from December 2 through December 11, 2024, revealed deficiencies on specific dates. On December 5, 2024, the day shift did not have the required number of nurse aides, and the night shift was understaffed on both December 5 and December 7, 2024. These findings were confirmed with the Nursing Home Administrator during a telephone interview on December 16, 2024.

Plan Of Correction

Nursing Home Administrator/designee will audit nursing staffing schedules for the next two weeks to ensure schedules reflect at a minimum 1 nurse aide per 10 residents during the day, 1 nurse aide per 11 residents during the evening, and 1 nurse aide per 15 residents overnight. Nursing home administrator, Director of Nursing, and Scheduler/HR will hold weekly meetings to discuss new opportunities to utilize local community resources for staffing including vocational schools that offer aide training programs. Discussion to also include facility holding open interview times weekly for any walk-ins for immediate interviews. Nursing Home Administrator will have a daily staffing meeting with Director of Nursing and facility Nursing Scheduler to review daily staffing schedules to ensure compliance with staffing regulations, discuss potential barriers to meeting required staffing ratios and identify strategies to meet staffing ratios including but not limited to recruitment efforts, bonus structure, use of agency and overtime hours. Scheduler/HR will discuss with staffing agencies any issues with their staff involving absenteeism and/or tardiness as it affects facility ratios. Nursing Home Administrator will audit daily nursing staffing ratios to ensure nurse aide ratios are in compliance with mandated state laws regarding minimum staffing ratios. These audits will be conducted weekly for 4 weeks and monthly for 2 months. Results of these audits will be reviewed by the Quality Assurance Performance Improvement committee.

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.
See other P5520 citations
Failure to Meet Minimum NA-to-Resident Ratio on a Day Shift
P5520
Short Summary

The facility did not meet required NA staffing ratios on one reviewed day shift. Review of nursing schedules over a multi-week period showed that on a specific day shift, the number of NAs scheduled did not meet the mandated minimum of one NA per ten residents. During a subsequent interview, the DON confirmed that the facility failed to comply with the required NA-to-resident ratio for that shift.

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 Minimum Night Shift Nurse Aide Staffing Ratios
P5520
Short Summary

Facility administrative staff did not consistently meet required minimum nurse aide staffing ratios on the night shift, as shown by a review of nursing schedules and census data over a multi-week period. On multiple nights, the total nurse aide hours provided were below the calculated hours needed to maintain at least one nurse aide per 15 residents, resulting in several shifts where required coverage was not achieved. The Nursing Home Administrator acknowledged that the facility failed to provide the mandated minimum nurse aide staffing on these night shifts.

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 Meet Minimum Nurse Aide Staffing Ratios Across Multiple Shifts
P5520
Short Summary

The facility did not meet required minimum NA staffing ratios on multiple day, evening, and night shifts during a reviewed period. Staffing records showed that, with a census of approximately 58–59 residents, actual NA hours on several day and evening shifts, and one night shift, were below the hours needed to achieve mandated ratios of 1 NA per 10 residents on days, 1 NA per 11 residents on evenings, and 1 NA per 15 residents overnight. The DON confirmed that the required number of NAs was not provided on the identified shifts.

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 Minimum Nurse Aide Day-Shift Staffing Ratios
P5520
Short Summary

Surveyors found that on two reviewed days, the facility did not provide the required minimum number of nurse aides on the day shift relative to the number of residents. Staffing records showed that the nurse aide-to-resident ratio fell below the mandated standard, and the NHA acknowledged that the required nurse aide staffing ratios were not met on those days.

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 NA-to-Resident Staffing Ratios Across Multiple Shifts
P5520
Short Summary

Surveyors found that the facility repeatedly failed to meet required NA-to-resident staffing ratios on multiple day, evening, and night shifts. Review of census and staffing schedules showed that the number of NAs scheduled and providing care was consistently below the minimum required based on the number of residents, with shortfalls documented on numerous shifts across several weeks. There were no additional higher-level staff available to offset these NA shortages, and the Administrator confirmed that the required staffing ratios were not met on the identified shifts.

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 Minimum Nurse Aide Staffing Ratios
P5520
Short Summary

The facility did not maintain the required NA-to-resident staffing ratios on multiple reviewed shifts, as shown by weekly staffing records and staff interviews. For a census of 28 residents, the facility was required to staff specific minimum NA levels on day and evening shifts but instead scheduled fewer NAs than mandated, and no additional higher-level staff were present to offset the shortfall. The NHA acknowledged that the required NA-to-resident ratios were not met on the identified shifts.

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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