Nursing Home News 2025Dec31

Current Nursing Home Citation Trends

There are a few areas that are being frequently cited in Nebraska nursing homes.

F609: Reporting Allegations—Providers are being cited for failure to report, investigate and provide follow up following allegations. Providers are reminded to ensure that all staff members know and understand agency policies on what needs to be reported, specifically regarding allegations. Once an allegation has been made, the provider must respond immediately to protect the resident and remove alleged perpetrators from contact and begin the investigation. All allegations, no matter what, must be investigated following agency policy. Self reports of these incidents and allegations must be made to the department and the five day follow up report should be completed in a timely manner.

F684: Quality of Care—While there are no specific trends in this area, it continues to be a frequent citation in recent months. Providers should ensure assessments and care plans are complete and accurate and that the plan is being implemented as scheduled. Documentation of these actions is key to ensuring that there is proof that the care plan is being implemented. Providers must also respond to changes in condition immediately and put plans in place following any change in condition. Follow up actions should be taken to prevent avoidable injuries and decline in residents. As always, follow up with QAPI to identify and correct any gaps in your care continuum.

F880: Infection Prevention and Control—This area continues to be the MOST common citation among Nebraska nursing homes. Much of the problem in this area continues to center around hand hygiene. While you feel that you talk about this all the time, it is the one place where staff may cut corners when providing care. Providers are encouraged to hard-wire hand hygiene at the point of care by making alcohol-based hand rub readily available inside and outside every point of care, ensuring sinks are stocked with supplies and staff are well trained in expectations. Providers are encouraged to conduct competency checks with staff frequently and monitor for hand hygiene compliance in real time. With respiratory illnesses on the rise, another area of concern is proper use of PPE and staff knowledge of

what is required for different residents, such as EBP. Overall cleaning and knowledge of procedures is also an area for continued monitoring.

Be on the lookout! Provider renewals for nursing homes will begin distribution in January. License renewals for long term care are due on March 31^st

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