S.C. Code Regs. § 61-17.700.701 - Accidents and Incidents

A. A facility shall maintain a record of each accident and incident, including each serious accident and incident as defined in Section 701.B, involving residents or staff members or volunteers, occurring in the facility or on the facility grounds. A facility's record of each accident and incident shall be reviewed, investigated if necessary, evaluated in accordance with facility policies and procedures, and retained by the facility for six (6) years after the resident stops receiving services.

B. A facility shall report every serious accident and incident that results in resident's death or significant loss of function or damage to a body structure, not related to the natural course of a resident's illness or underlying condition or normal course of treatment, and resulting from an accident or incident occurring to resident within the facility or on the facility grounds. Serious accidents and incidents requiring reporting include, but are not limited to:

1. Crime(s) against resident;

2. Confirmed or suspected cases of abuse, neglect, or exploitation;

3. Medication error with adverse reaction;

4. Hospitalization as a result of the accident or incident;

5. Severe hematoma, laceration, or burn requiring medical attention or hospitalization;

6. Bone fracture or joint fracture;

7. Severe injury involving use of restraints;

8. Attempted suicide; or

9. Fire.

C. A facility shall immediately report every serious accident and incident to the attending physician, next-of-kin or responsible party, and the Department via telephone, email, or facsimile within twenty-four (24) hours of the serious accident or incident.

D. A facility shall submit a written report of its investigation of every serious accident and incident to the Department within five (5) days of the serious accident or incident. A facility's written report to the Department shall provide at a minimum:

1. Facility name;

2. License number;

3. Type of accident or incident;

4. Date accident or incident occurred;

5. Number of residents directly injured or affected;

6. Resident record number or last four (4) digits of Social Security Number;

7. Resident age and sex;

8. Number of staff directly injured or affected;

9. Number of visitors directly injured or affected;

10. Name(s) of witness(es);

11. Identified cause of accident or incident;

12. Internal investigation results if cause unknown; and

13. Brief description of the accident or incident including the location of occurrence and treatment of injuries.

E. A facility shall retain a copy of every serious accident and incident with all of the information provided to the Department and the names, injuries, and treatments associated with each resident, staff, and/or visitor involved. A facility shall retain all serious accident and incident records for six (6) years after the resident stops receiving services.

F. The Administrator or his or her designee shall report every accident and incident involving a resident that leaves the premises for more than twenty-four (24) hours without notice to staff members of intent to leave to local law enforcement, the resident's responsible party, and the Department. The Administrator or his or her designee shall immediately notify local law enforcement and the responsible party by telephone when a cognitively impaired resident leaves the premises for any amount of time without notice to staff members.

G. The Administrator or his or her designee shall report changes in the resident's condition, to the extent that serious health concerns and/or injuries, such as, fracture, behavior changes or heart attack, are evident, to the attending physician and the responsible party immediately, not to exceed twenty-four (24) hours, consistent with the severity or urgency of the change in accordance with facility policies and procedures. (I)

H. The Administrator or his or her designee shall report abuse and suspected abuse, neglect, or exploitation of residents the South Carolina Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program in accordance with S.C. Code Section 43-35-25.

Notes

S.C. Code Regs. § 61-17.700.701

Replaced and amended byState Register Volume 40, Issue No. 03, eff. 3/25/2016.