state reportables

Thanks, I needed the laugh!!!

Capecod, I wish I didn't know anything about this!!!! I have to report any allegation of abuse or allegation of misappropriation of funds, any allegation, however unfounded, by an unhappy family member or visitor....any anything. When I put in the corrective action plan, the state person writes back and says I have to explain something or add something. I will have already put that in, so try to reword it. Matter of fact, on one I wrote word for word what is on their example, and they still rejected it. I called in total frustration earlier this week, and the only comment was that I had written too much. It didn't used to be this way. I don't know if it is the person now checking them or just new rules at the state level. The DONs in our sister facilities are also at their wits end over this.

1. Yes, I learned right away not to volunteer anything extra. When I first started as the ADON, the then DON volunteered something extra during survey and it netted her an IJ!!! But I have only put in the info they wrote back and told me to put in. Seems I was supposed to delete what I already had written, not add to it.

2. Yes, I have a nurse practitioner with psych services as well as a counselor. I'm not sure how they should take care of it, but they have tried. Meds have been adjusted, he has been sent out for treatment elsewhere, he has had innumerable counseling sessions, etc.

3. He is paranoid, but also with it enough to know exactly what he is doing. After he made the last round of allegations, he walked out of the SW's office, laughing and saying he enjoyed making that one up. My regional nurse consultant was there and said I had to do a state reportable anyway b/c he had made the allegation. Actually, I don't think I offered to change his room that time, but he changes rooms an average of once a month. He is unhappy with any roommate. He states that no matter who we put him with, he will make allegations b/c he wants a private room (which we don't have).

He also refuses to transfer elsewhere. Really we like him and would hate to send him away, but good grief!!! We didn't use to have to report things that were unfounded, and now that I am told I have to, it is a pain.

Thanks for the suggestions!

Oh, I am so jealous!!! I had exactly 1½ hours orientation for this job. I hadn't wanted the job, but have really tried to do the best I could with it. I do dearly love my residents, and my staff tries to be wonderful. I was the only person in house qualified to take the position when the previous DON had had enough. That was 3 yrs ago. We've had excellent surveys, doubled census, low turnover, etc. And the state reportable never used to be a problem. Since a new person started doing these reports from the state side, they are consistently rejected. Anyway, thanks for all the comments.

For starters, the staff and I were friends before I took the job (I had been there 6 yrs already), and only agreed to take it if they agreed to do it with me. We are quite simply, a team. Our census was so low that we were about to close. I told them that to avoid that and keep our jobs, we had to give the best care of any home in the county. We are a rural county, there are other homes here, and ours is the oldest building. So we give exceptional care. I argued with corporate until I got their pay increased by almost $2 an hour (aides and nurses). I help them on the floor when I can. We work very hard to keep our doctors happy. We have not had an in-house decub in over 3 yrs. When I took over, we also got a new administrator who is wonderful. The last one had been awful. I could go on as I am proud of our crew. Just guess it comes down to our being a team. There are always flies in the ointment, but mostly we do whatever we can to help the other one.