Conclusions Having reviewed the Administrative Complaint, and all other matters of record, the Agency for Health Care Administration finds and concludes as follows: 1. The Agency has jurisdiction over the above-named Respondent pursuant to Chapter 408, Part II, Florida Statutes, and the applicable authorizing statutes and administrative code provisions. 2. The Agency issued the attached Administrative Complaint and Election of Rights form to the Respondent. (Ex. 1) The Election of Rights form advised of the right to an administrative hearing. 3. The parties have since entered into the attached Settlement Agreement. (Ex. 2) Based upon the foregoing, it is ORDERED: 1. The Settlement Agreement is adopted and incorporated by reference into this Final Order. The parties shall comply with the terms of the Settlement Agreement. 2. The Respondent shall pay the Agency $5,500.00. If full payment has been made, the cancelled check acts as receipt of payment and no further payment is required. If full payment has not been made, payment is due within 30 days of the Final Order. Overdue amounts are subject to statutory interest and may be referred to collections. A check made payable to the “Agency for Health Care Administration” and containing the AHCA ten-digit case number should be sent to: Office of Finance and Accounting Revenue Management Unit Agency for Health Care Administration 2727 Mahan Drive, MS 14 Tallahassee, Florida 32308 Filed November 7, 2012 1:32 PM Dipision of Administrative Hearings ORDERED at Tallahassee, Florida, on this b day of /V 6 Va be , 2012. ‘, - Sy At, * q Elizabeyh Dudek, ae Agency for Healt! e Administration
Other Judicial Opinions A party who is adversely affected by this Final Order is entitled to judicial review, which shall be instituted by filing one copy of a notice of appeal with the Agency Clerk of AHCA, and a second copy, along with filing fee as prescribed by law, with the District Court of Appeal in the appellate district where the Agency maintains its headquarters or where a party resides. Review of proceedings shall be conducted in accordance with the Florida appellate rules. The Notice of Appeal must be filed within 30 days of rendition of the order to be reviewed. CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE I CERTIFY that a true and correct_gopy of this Final Order was served on the below-named persons by the method designated on this Z lay of _ LY Loe , 2011. Richard Shoop, Agency Cler! Agency for Health Care Administration 2727 Mahan Drive, Bldg. #3, Mail Stop #3 Tallahassee, Florida 32308-5403 Telephone: (850) 412-3630 Jan Mills Finance & Accounting Facilities Intake Unit Revenue Management Unit (Electronic Mail) (Electronic Mail) David Selby, Esq. Haifa Harb, Administrator and Registered Agent Office of the General Counsel Bloomfield Manor Agency for Health Care Administration 2774 Wesleyan Dr., (Electronic Mail) Palm Harbor, FL 34684 (U.S. Mail) John D. C. Newton, II B. Kyle Morley, Esq. Administrative Law Judge Kelley, Kronenberg, et al Division of Administrative Hearings 8201 Peters Rd, Ste 4000 (Electronic Mail) Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33324 L (U.S. Mail) STATE OF FLORIDA AGENCY FOR HEALTH CARE ADMINISTRATION STATE OF FLORIDA, AGENCY FOR HEALTH CARE ADMINISTRATION, Petitioner, Vv. Case No. 2012005357 BLOOMFIELD MANOR, INC. d/b/a BLOOMFIELD MANOR Respondent. ADMINISTRATIVE COMPLAINT COMES NOW the Petitioner, State of Florida, Agency for Health Care Administration (“the Agency”), by and through its undersigned counsel, and files this Administrative Complaint against the Respondent, Bloomfield Manor, Inc. d/b/a Bloomfield Manor (“Respondent”), pursuant to Sections 120.569 and 120.57, Florida Statutes (2011), and alleges: NATURE OF THE ACTION This is an action against an assisted living facility to impose an administrative fine in the amount of $5,000.00 based upon one State Class II deficiency (Count I) and to assess a survey fee of five hundred dollars ($500.00) (Count Il). The total assessment is for $5,500.00. JURISDICTION AND VENUE 1. The Agency has jurisdiction pursuant to Sections 20.42, 120.60, and Chapters 408, Part Il, and 429, Part L Florida Statutes (2011). 2. Venue lies pursuant to Florida Administrative Code R. 28-106.207. PARTIES 3. The Agency is the regulatory authority responsible for licensure of assisted living facilities and enforcement of all applicable federal regulations, state statutes and rules governing assisted 1 EXHIBIT 1 living facilities pursuant to the Chapters 408, Part II, and 429, Part I, Flonda Statutes, and Chapter 58A- 5, Florida Administrative Code (‘F.A.C.’), respectively. 4. Respondent operates a six bed assisted living facility (‘ALF’) located at 2774 Wesleyan Dr., Palm Harbor, FL 34684, and is licensed as an ALF, license number 9893. Respondent was at all times material hereto a licensed facility under the licensing authority of the Agency, and was required to comply with all applicable rules and statutes. COUNT I — CLASS TI FINE 5. The Agency re-alleges and incorporates paragraphs one through five as if fully set forth herein. 6. Florida regulatory law states the following concerning resident care and elopement standards at an ALF: 58A-5.0182 Resident Care Standards. An assisted living facility shall provide care and services appropriate to the needs of residents accepted for admission to the facility. (1) SUPERVISION. Facilities shall offer personal supervision, as appropriate for each resident, including the following: (a) Monitor the quantity and quality of resident diets in accordance with Rule 58A-5.020, F.A.C. (b) Daily observation by designated staff of the activities of the resident while on the premises, and awareness of the general health, safety, and physical and emotional well-being of the individual. (c) General awareness of the resident’s whereabouts. The resident may travel independently in the community. (d) Contacting the resident’s health care provider and other appropriate party such as the resident’s family, guardian, health care surrogate, or case manager if the resident exhibits a significant change; contacting the resident’s family, guardian, health care surrogate, or case manager if the resident is discharged or moves out. (e) A written record, updated as needed, of any significant changes as defined in subsection 58A-5.0131(33), F.A.C., any illnesses which resulted in medical attention, major incidents, changes in the method of medication administration, or other changes which resulted in the provision of additional services. (8) ELOPEMENT STANDARDS (a) Residents Assessed at Risk for Elopement. All residents assessed at risk for elopement or with any history of elopement shall be identified so staff can be alerted to their needs for support and supervision. 1. As part of its resident elopement response policies and procedures, the facility shall make, at a minimum, a daily effort to determine that at risk residents have identification on their persons that includes their name and the facility’s name, address, and telephone number. Staff attention shall be directed towards residents 2 assessed at high risk for elopement, with special attention given to those with Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders assessed at high risk. Rule 58A-5.0182, FAC. 7. A-complaint survey, CCR # 2012000332, was performed on 9 February, 2012, in conjunction with a biennial state licensure survey of this ALF with extended congregate care. 8. The Agency’s surveyor reviewed facility records and interviewed facility staff and determined that the facility failed to provide adequate supervision to ensure the health and safety of a vulnerable 97 year old female resident, which resulted in her eloping from the facility in the early morning hours on 5 January, 2012, a very cold morning where the temperature dropped to as low as 39-42° F. She was found early that morning by law enforcement with a broken nose and bruised eyes. She had no identification on her and she was too confused to state her name. She was identified by law enforcement only after the caregiver called law enforcement at between 7:00 — 7:45 am to report the missing resident. 9. The following information was learned from the records review and staff interviews during the Agency’s survey: a. This resident was admitted to the facility as a respite (short stay) resident by her son on 1/1/12 to stay for a week while he was going to be away. b. A formal health assessment was not required for respite care for a stay of less than 30 days. The facility administrator/owner’s brief notes indicated that he had asked the son questions about his mother’s routine, behaviors, diet, and her general needs regarding her activities of daily living. The notes included no milk, no smoking, some confusion, no wandering, regular diet, no falling and supervision with dressing. He listed her age as 97. c. Additional unsigned handwritten notes on resident observation log sheets stated that she was confused, and she had stated that she was leaving and her son was going to come and get her. When the administrator came to the facility on 1/1/12, he and the live in caregiver (#1) (she stayed there five days a week) agreed to activate the front door alarm as a preventative step because of this particular resident's confusion. This was done the following day. There was no documentation of a plan to provide closer supervision. After the new door alarm was installed the next day, there was no documentation indicating that this resident had ever gone out the door and set off the alarm but it was documented that she continued to be confused and kept saying she was going to leave, that her son was coming for her. After a day of the alarm going off frequently due independent residents coming and going, the caregiver removed it the next day, 1/3/12, and contacted the administrator to let him know. The administrator acknowledged during his interview that he had been contacted as indicated by this caregiver. This caregiver said that she removed the door alarm because residents said it bothered them. Additionally, she did not see exit seeking behaviors from this respite resident, only confusion, and she stayed in the living room and kept a close eye on her. However, the caregiver did describe seeing the resident going from room to room, touching different doors and having difficulty finding the restroom. At one point during the night, the caregiver heard noise from the resident’s room and found her fooling with her travel bag which she had put on top of her bed. She described the inability of the resident to follow simple commands such as putting on clean clothes that had been selected for her to put on after she showered. Instead, she put on the same clothes she had worn previously. Her appetite was described as good. The caregiver further stated that she had verbally briefed the incoming replacement staff member (caregiver #2) on 1/4/12 before getting off at 9:00 am. She did not mention anything to her replacement about the door alarm being activated and then deactivated 4 i. but she did relate that the resident was confused. She did not say that this resident needed more supervision than the other residents. There were no written notes in the resident's file to describe for the benefit of the replacement the behaviors that had been observed that would have called for constant supervision or possible discharge to a higher level of care than could be provided at this facility. A confidential interview during the survey with a different resident revealed he had heard and felt someone touch his feet during the early hours of 1/5/12 and thought it was a burglar in his room but then realized it was the respite resident who immediately left his room. He recalled this happening between 3:00 - 3:30 am. He said he got up and rolled into the living room and found the caregiver (#2) asleep on the chair. Shortly after that he said he heard noises coming from behind his closet where the respite resident's closet backed up to his but the noises stopped and he did not think any more about it. He said the caregiver (#2) came into his room sometime around 5:00 am he thought and asked him if he had seen the respite resident. He told her that he had not seen her since earlier that morning when she had come into his room. He said the caregiver then began a full search. Review of the 1 day and 15 day Adverse Incident reports submitted on 1/15/12 and 2/5/12 (submitted late and cited as a separate deficiency) revealed the respite resident was discovered missing on 1/5/12 at approximately 7:30 am at which time the administrator was notified. By that time, the resident had already been picked up by law enforcement and taken to a nearby hospital with a fractured nose. Review of the facility's elopement drills revealed they were completed timely. Caregiver #1’s personnel file reflected all required training. 1. Caregiver #2’s personnel file was missing so it could not be reviewed. The administrator thought that that caregiver might have taken it from his office when she returned for the rest of her personal items on 1/20/12 after being terminated on 1/5/12. 10. The information set forth above reflects Respondent’s failure to ensure care and services appropriate to the needs of a resident accepted for admission to the facility including personal supervision where Respondent knew of or should have known of the resident’s confusion, risk of elopement, and possible injury, but nevertheless deactivated the alarm needed to ensure the continued safety of an obvious at-risk resident. 11. The Agency determined that this deficient practice was a condition or occurrence related to the operation and maintenance of a provider or to the care of clients which directly threatens the physical or emotional health, safety, or security of the clients, other than class I violations. 12. The same constitutes a State Class II offense, defined as follows: 408.813 Administrative fines; violations.—As a penalty for any violation of this part, authorizing statutes, or applicable rules, the agency may impose an administrative fine. (2) Violations of this part, authorizing statutes, or applicable rules shall be classified according to the nature of the violation and the gravity of its probable effect on clients. ... Violations shall be classified on the written notice as follows: (b) Class “II” violations are those conditions or occurrences related to the operation and maintenance of a provider or to the care of clients which the agency determines directly threaten the physical or emotional health, safety, or security of the clients, other than class I violations. The agency shall impose an administrative fine as provided by law for a cited class II violation. A fine shall be levied notwithstanding the correction of the violation. Section 408.813, Florida Statutes (2011) 13. The fine for a Class II violation is set forth as follows: 429.19 Violations; imposition of administrative fines; grounds.— (1) In addition to the requirements of part I of chapter 408, the agency shall impose an administrative fine in the manner provided in chapter 120 for the violation of any provision of this part, part II of chapter 408, and applicable rules by an assisted living facility, for the ... actions of a facility employee, or for an intentional or negligent act seriously affecting the health, safety, or welfare of a 6 resident of the facility. (2) Each violation of this part and adopted rules shall be classified according to the nature of the violation and the gravity of its probable effect on facility residents. The agency shall indicate the classification on the written notice of the violation as follows: (b) Class “If” violations are defined in s. 408.813. The agency shall impose an administrative fine for a cited class II violation in an amount not less than $1,000 and not exceeding $5,000 for each violation. (3) For purposes of this section, in determining if a penalty is to be imposed and in fixing the amount of the fine, the agency shall consider the following factors: (a) The gravity of the violation, including the probability that death or serious physical or emotional harm to a resident will result or has resulted, the severity of the action or potential harm, and the extent to which the provisions of the applicable laws or rules were violated. (b) Actions taken by the owner or administrator to correct violations. (c) Any previous violations. (d) The financial benefit to the facility of committing or continuing the violation. (e) The licensed capacity of the facility. (7) In addition to any administrative fines imposed, the agency may assess a survey fee, equal to the lesser of one half of the facility’s biennial license and bed fee or $500, to cover the cost of conducting initial complaint investigations that result in the finding of a violation that was the subject of the complaint or monitoring visits conducted under s. 429.28(3) (c) to verify the correction of the violations. Florida Statute 429.19, Florida Statutes (2011). WHEREFORE, the Agency intends to impose an administrative fine in the amount of $5,000.00 against Respondent, an ALF in the State of Florida, pursuant to Section 429.19 (2) (b) and (3), Florida Statutes (2011). COUNT II- ASSESSMENT OF A SURVEY FEE 14. The Agency re-alleges and incorporates paragraphs 1 through 5 and Count | as if fully set forth herein. 15. Pursuant to Section 429.19 (7), Florida Statutes (2011) (paragraph 13 above), in addition to any administrative fines imposed, the Agency may assess a survey fee, equal to the lesser of one half of a facility’s biennial license and bed fee or $500, to cover the cost of conducting initial complaint investigations that result in the finding of a violation that was the subject of the complaint or monitoring visits conducted under Section 429.28 (3) (c), Florida Statues, to verify the correction of the violations. 16. The citation of the Class II deficient practice based on the 9 February, 2012, survey was the subject of a complaint. 17. Respondent is therefore subject to a survey fee of $500.00, pursuant to Section 429.19 (7), Florida Statutes (2011). WHEREFORE, the Agency intends to impose a survey fee of $500.00 against Respondent, an ALF in the State of Florida, pursuant to Section 429.19 (7), Florida Statutes (2011). Submitted this 7 day of June, 2012. STATE OF FLORIDA, AGENCY FOR HEALTH CARE ADMINISTRATION The Sebring Building 525 Mirror Lake Dr. N., Suite 330H St. Petersburg, FL 33701 Ph: (727) 552-1942 Fax: 552-1440 L. 7 . CO ; py Cher O. /' Edwin D. Selby, Esq. Fla. Bar No. 262587 Attorney for Petitioner
The Issue The issues are whether the Respondent should be disciplined under sections 464.204(1)(b) and 456.072(1)(z), Florida Statutes2/; and, if so, the appropriate discipline.
Findings Of Fact The Petitioner regulates the practice of nursing and nursing assistants in Florida. The Respondent holds license CNA 140254, which allows her to work as a certified nursing assistant (CNA). She became licensed in 2006 and worked as a CNA at Quality Health Care Center (“Quality Health Care”) in Winter Garden from 2007 through 2016. There is no evidence that the Petitioner was aware of any concerns about the Respondent’s ability to practice as a CNA with reasonable skill and safety until May 2016. In May 2016, the Respondent sent an e-mail to the Petitioner’s Medical Quality Assurance Consumer Services Unit that said: Hi this is Francoise Utegg license # 140254 CNA. I m impossible since 2005 after I bought an house with my husband at 2004 Kruger Dr Modesto CA 95355 Since in the next day we finished repair the house I m impossible they executed me and video track me I face cults culture deaths I’m living an abandoned live people talking inside me it s not in my brain you can verify my work and I never give up to work I found out a gang tracking me to force me to give up my life. I was at work yesterday someone talk in me said I will cheats you, They pushed me down verbal harassing terracing terrified terrorize everywhere I m it s feel like I don’t have any right They say that I m assaulted to take care of children. They dissolution my married and pushed me down they wasting me in nightmares Thanks for your concern. It s can be anyone’s else The Respondent’s intent in sending this e-mail was to do a public service by alerting the Petitioner to the possibility that many other people might come under similar attacks, to the detriment of their health and safety. The result was that the Petitioner immediately began an investigation into the Respondent’s ability to practice with reasonable skill and safety due to a physical or mental illness. The investigation included an interview with the Respondent and an inquiry to the Intervention Project for Nurses (IPN), which reported that the Respondent was not a program participant. In July 2016, the Petitioner ordered the Respondent to undergo a mental and physical examination to determine her ability to practice and the need for IPN. An examination by Jamie Smolen, M.D., was scheduled for February 13, 2017. In December 2016, the Respondent was at work in the dining room at Quality Health Care when she began hearing voices telling her that she was “a domestique,” i.e., in her native Haitian patois, no more than a common house maid. This insulted and angered the Respondent, who was very proud of having passed her licensure examination and worked as a licensed nursing assistant for almost ten years. The Respondent controlled her anger while working with her patients but then began to angrily and loudly dispute what the voices were saying and angrily threw dirty dishes and utensils into a wash tub, which made loud crashing sounds. The family of one of the patients heard and saw this incident and reported it to the administration of Quality Health Care. Quality Health Care investigated the family’s report and required the Respondent to be evaluated and cleared before returning to work. Dr. Smolen examined the Respondent as scheduled on February 13, 2017. He diagnosed schizophrenia, paranoid type, continuous. Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by abnormal social behavior and a failure to understand what is real. Symptoms include: delusions; hallucinations; and disorganized speech. Dr. Smolen recommended that the Respondent did not have reasonable skill and safety to return to practice as a CNA; that she should receive psychiatric medication management; that she should agree to a mental health monitoring contract with IPN; that she should not be allowed to return to work until she demonstrated full compliance with the IPN contract, including medication management and psychiatric follow-up to confirm remission in response to treatment; and that she should be evaluated at that time for recovery status and return to work. Dr. Smolen’s opinion is based in part on information provided to him by the Respondent. She is a Haitian woman, aged approximately 50, who married a Canadian and accompanied him when he returned to Canada in 1996. They moved to Modesto, California, and in 2005 they undertook to renovate a home they purchased there. They worked long and hard. As the repairs were being finished, the Respondent perceived strange things happening to her. She believed something was in the house trying to harm her. She also believed she was under video surveillance and that a remote-controlled device was implanted in her abdomen. She also began to suffer from auditory hallucinations, hearing disembodied voices speaking French creole. She believed the voices may have been spirits, a “gang cult” in the air, or a “satanic legion.” She thought she had been “voodoo-ized.” She suffered physical symptoms, such as weight loss, recurrent headaches, and abdominal pain that she attributed to the implanted device. She also imagined being hit in the face by an invisible hand and an invisible tightening around her hands. The Respondent’s husband did not believe she was cursed, but instead believed she suffered from schizophrenia, and he took her to a doctor for treatment. The Respondent called the doctor a “witch psychologist” who prescribed Risperdal, an anti- psychotic medication. The Respondent thought the dosage she received caused her to “float as though she did not exist” and feel “limp like a snake.” In the Respondent’s mind, this confirmed that she was cursed, not schizophrenic. The Respondent had blood drawn for her examination by the “witch psychologist.” She later saw marks, possibly hematomas, where the blood was drawn. The Respondent interpreted the marks as signs that something evil was happening to her. After what happened to her in Modesto, the Respondent and her husband divorced, and she moved to Orlando, Florida. In Orlando, the Respondent’s abdominal pain persisted. When the Respondent sought medical advice, she was referred to mental health specialists, and the Respondent refused treatment. Not only did she not believe she had a mental illness, she seemed to believe the mental health professionals were part of the “attack” against her by the evil spirits, or whoever or whatever was tormenting her. In 2006, despite her troubles, the Respondent somehow managed to become licensed as a nursing assistant, and managed to get a job as a CNA at Quality Health Care Center. It appears that she held the job for approximately ten years. The Respondent proudly reports that she frequently was asked to work overtime. No testimony or evidence was presented from anyone other than the Respondent concerning her job performance during those ten years. It is possible that her work was uninterrupted by her torments, but not likely, given the Respondent’s self- reporting of some of the incidents during those ten years. The Respondent testified that she has called the police more than ten times over the years to report the harassing voices she hears because she thinks they could harm others, too. The usual police response has been to handcuff the Respondent and transport her to a mental health facility for observation and treatment. Typically, the Respondent refuses treatment or discontinues it after a period of compliance, and the pattern repeats itself. On February 22, 2017, the Respondent was admitted to Aspire Healthcare on an inpatient status. She stayed for five days and was discharged on Zyprexa, an anti-psychotic medication, with clearance to return to work. She returned to work at Quality Health Care shortly after that and was compliant with her medication for a time. There was no evidence of any incidents at work after that. In April 2017, the Petitioner filed an Administrative Complaint against the Respondent alleging her inability to practice as a nursing assistant with reasonable skill and safety by reason of her mental illness and her intentional refusal to comply with recommended treatment. At some point, Quality Health Care was informed about the Administrative Complaint and placed the Respondent on leave from her employment. When the Respondent received the Administrative Complaint in June 2017, she disputed the charges and asked for a hearing. All of this greatly upset the Respondent, who stopped taking her Zyprexa, as futile, and decompensated. A neighbor witnessed bizarre behavior in her home garden and reported her to the police, who handcuffed her and transported her to a mental health facility for observation and treatment. On November 3, 2017, Dr. Smolen re-evaluated the Respondent. His opinion as to the Respondent’s mental illness and ability to practice with reasonable skill and safety did not change. The Respondent denies that she has a mental illness. As a result, she does not recognize the need for treatment or medication or monitoring. Nonetheless, she has shown some willingness to do what is necessary to remove the restrictions on her license so she can return to work, and she claims to have tried to contact IPN, but without success. However, she has not followed through for long before she gets frustrated with how long it takes to get cleared to return to work. When that happens, she stops treatment and medication.
Recommendation Based on the foregoing Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law, it is RECOMMENDED that the Board of Nursing enter a final order: finding the Respondent to be in violation of section 456.071(1)(z); suspending her license until she enters into a mental health contract with IPN, and appears before the Board to demonstrate, through an evaluation by IPN, that she can practice as a nursing assistant with reasonable skill and safety to patients; imposing such additional conditions and/or probation at the time of reinstatement; and imposing costs of investigation and prosecution. DONE AND ENTERED this 6th day of February, 2018, in Tallahassee, Leon County, Florida. S J. LAWRENCE JOHNSTON Administrative Law Judge Division of Administrative Hearings The DeSoto Building 1230 Apalachee Parkway Tallahassee, Florida 32399-3060 (850) 488-9675 Fax Filing (850) 921-6847 www.doah.state.fl.us Filed with the Clerk of the Division of Administrative Hearings this 6th day of February, 2018.
