North Carolina Did Not Ensure That Nursing Facilities Always Reported Allegations of Potential Abuse and Neglect of Medicaid Beneficiaries and Did Not Always Prioritize Allegations Timely

This audit report is one of a series of OIG reports addressing the identification, reporting, and investigation of incidents of potential abuse or neglect of our Nation's most vulnerable populations, including the elderly and individuals with developmental disabilities. Our objectives were to determine whether North Carolina (1) ensured that nursing facilities reported potential abuse or neglect of Medicaid beneficiaries transferred from nursing facilities to hospital emergency departments; (2) complied with Federal and State requirements for assigning a priority level, investigating, and recording allegations of potential abuse and neglect; and (3) operated its complaint and incident report program effectively.