Freedom From Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation- CMS Training Video

This includes significant updates to five F-tags:

F600 (Free From Abuse and Neglect): This update addresses the following main areas:
Resident-to-resident abuse: Clarifies that not every resident-to-resident altercation is a case of abuse because disagreements occur in social interactions, so surveyors must determine on a case-by-case basis whether the incident meets the definition of abuse.

Sexual abuse: Removes the sentence, “Residents without the capacity to consent to sexual activity may not engage in sexual activity,” because it might unintentionally convey that physical intimacy is not allowed for all residents without the capacity to consent. However, it also adds that a facility must take steps to ensure that residents are protected from abuse, including evaluating the resident’s capacity to consent to sexual activity, any time that the facility has reason to suspect that the resident may lack the capacity to consent.

Past abuse noncompliance: Clarifies the rules for surveyors to use in determinations of past noncompliance, as well as the additional F-tags that could be cited if the facility didn’t take all appropriate remedial steps for the immediate protection of residents.

Neglect: Adds language to better define neglect as “the failure of the facility, its employees, or service providers to provide goods and services to a resident that are necessary to avoid physical harm, pain, mental anguish or emotional distress” and explains the circumstances that indicate when neglect has occurred vs. when it hasn’t (e.g., noncompliance under §483.25 (Quality of Care) does not automatically mean that there is neglect under F600).

Abuse or neglect citation templates: Adds templates for surveyors to use for the deficient practice statement for F600.