P5530

LPN Staffing Deficiencies

Wecare At Sycamore Rehabilitation And Nursing CentMontoursville, Pennsylvania Survey Completed on 12-09-2024

Summary

The facility failed to meet the required LPN-to-resident ratios as mandated by regulations effective July 1, 2023. During the day shift, the facility did not provide the minimum of one LPN per 25 residents on six out of the 21 days reviewed. Specific instances include November 12, 2024, with a census of 106 residents and only 3.93 LPNs scheduled, when 4.24 were required, and November 25, 2024, with a census of 99 residents and only 3.51 LPNs scheduled, when 3.96 were required. Similar deficiencies were noted on other days within the reviewed period. The evening and overnight shifts also experienced staffing shortages. During the evening shift, the facility failed to provide one LPN per 30 residents on nine out of the 21 days reviewed. For example, on November 25, 2024, with a census of 99 residents, only 2.66 LPNs were scheduled, while 3.30 were required. The overnight shift was deficient on five days, such as November 26, 2024, with a census of 104 residents and only 2.09 LPNs scheduled, when 2.60 were required. These findings were confirmed by the Nursing Home Administrator during a meeting on December 9, 2024.

Plan Of Correction

1. While the facility cannot retroactively correct the citations. 2. Facility has hired 2 LPN's and 2 RN's since receiving deficiency. 3. Facility will conduct an audit consisting of the last two-week period to be sure the facility is in compliance with the LPN to resident ratios. 4. The facility shall make reasonable attempts to acquire new staff, including offering competitive pay rates, shift differentials, partnering with local community schools, and offering employee benefits. 5. The Facility has updated all job postings to attract more staff to fill the LPN open positions. 6. The NHA/Designee will educate the scheduler/designee on the requirements of meeting the LPN to resident ratios. 7. The Scheduling Manager/Designee will randomly audit the nurse aide to resident ratios weekly x's 3 weeks to ensure regulatory compliance. Any concerns/issues will be reviewed monthly to the facility's QAPI 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 P5530 citations
Failure to Meet Minimum LPN Staffing Requirements on Day and Evening Shifts
P5530
Short Summary

Administrative staff did not ensure required LPN coverage on certain day and evening shifts, as shown by a comparison of nursing time schedules and census data. On one day shift, the number of LPN hours worked was below what was required for the number of residents present, and on one evening shift, LPN hours were again below the mandated minimum. The DON confirmed that minimum LPN staffing requirements were not met on these 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 Required LPN Day-Shift Staffing Ratios
P5530
Short Summary

Surveyors determined that the facility did not maintain the required minimum of one LPN per 25 residents on several day shifts during multiple reviewed weeks. Review of staffing records showed that on multiple identified days, the number of LPNs scheduled on day shift was insufficient for the resident census. In an interview, the NHA acknowledged that the required LPN 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 LPN-to-Resident Staffing Ratios Across Multiple Shifts
P5530
Short Summary

Surveyors found that the facility did not maintain required LPN-to-resident staffing ratios on multiple day, evening, and night shifts. Review of census data and nursing schedules showed that the number of LPNs providing care on several day shifts was slightly below the minimum required based on the census, and at least one evening and one night shift were also understaffed. There were no additional higher-level staff available to offset these LPN shortfalls, and the Administrator confirmed that required LPN 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 Required LPN-to-Resident Staffing Ratios on Multiple Shifts
P5530
Short Summary

The facility did not maintain the required LPN-to-resident staffing ratios on several shifts, as shown by a review of weekly staffing records and staff interviews. On four of twenty-one shifts reviewed, the number of LPNs on duty was below the mandated minimum based on the census, including day shifts where LPN coverage was slightly under the required level and a night shift with no LPN coverage at all. No additional higher-level nursing staff were present to offset these shortages, and the administrator acknowledged that required LPN-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.
Failure to Meet Minimum LPN Staffing Ratios
P5530
Short Summary

The facility did not meet the required minimum LPN-to-resident ratios on several day and evening shifts, as shown by a review of nursing schedules. On multiple occasions, there were not enough LPNs scheduled to meet the mandated ratios for the number of residents present.

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 LPN Staffing Requirements
P5530
Short Summary

The facility did not provide the required minimum number of LPNs on several day and night shifts, as shown by a review of staffing schedules and census data. The Nursing Home Administrator confirmed that LPN staffing levels fell below regulatory requirements on these occasions.

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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