Every finding on record at Alliance Home Care Visiting Nurse Agency

ACTS Reference Number: MA000107243 On 07/09/24, a CMS-authorized Complaint Survey was conducted at: Alliance Home Care Visiting Nurse Agency 400 West Cummings Park, Suite 3775 Woburn, MA 01801 to determine compliance with the following Home Health Agency's. - 42 CFR 484.50 Patient Rights Following the survey, the Home Care Agency was found to be at a standard level of noncompliance, resulting in the issuance of a statement of deficiency.

Property and person treated with respect CFR(s): 484.50(c)(1) Have his or her property and person treated with respect; This ELEMENT is not met as evidenced by: Based on records reviewed and interviews for one of three sampled clients (Client #1), the Agency failed to ensure that he/she was treated in respectful manner, when Home Health Aide (HHA) #1 who was assigned to provide services to Client #1 in his/her home, brought another person (who was not an agency employee) with her, this person was unknow to Client #1, who had only consented to Agency employees to be in his/her home. Findings Review of the Agency’s Policy titled Patient Bill of Rights and Responsibilities, no date, indicates that the Agency protects and promotes the rights of each individual in its care. Patients have a right: · Be informed of his/her rights · Exercise rights at any time · Have his/her property and person treated with respect. Review of the Agency's Investigation, dated 04/17/24, indicated that the Agency received a call from the North Andover Police Department on 04/17/24 to inquire if the Agency provides services for Client #1. The Report indicated that police inquiry was related to an investigation regarding a complaint made Client #1 alleging theft of personal property and the accused was an employee of the Agency. The Investigation indicated that Home Health Aide (HHA) #1 reported that she had provided personal care services on 04/15/24 for Client #1 in his/her home. The Investigation indicated that HHA #1 reported that she had a friend accompanying her, while she was providing services for Client #1 in his/her home that the friend was not an employee of the Agency, and that the friend accompanied her to translate to facilitate care. During an interview on 07/09/24 at 10:34 A.M., the Agency Chief Officer said that 04/15/24 was the first day HHA #1 provided services for Client #1. The Chief Officer said HHA #1 provided homemaking services like housekeeping, laundry, and grocery shopping. The Chief Officer said HHA #1 spoke limited English, but her primary language is Spanish. The Chief Officer said that HHA #1 knew the protocol when she had trouble with communicating in a different language, and the protocol was to call the Agency’s office. The Agency has multiple staff who are fluent in both languages. The Chief officer said that HHA #1 had not followed the agency's policy and that she had not respected Client #1’s right to privacy. During an interview on 07/11/24 at 1:00 P.M., Client #1 said he/she was unhappy with having a stranger in his/her home. Client #1 said that HHA #1 told him/her that this friend was helping today. Client #1 said it was disrespectful to him/her that HHA #1 would bring someone else who was not an Agency employee to help her. The Surveyor was unable to interview Home Health Aide #1 as she did not respond to the Department of Public Health's telephone call or letter requests for an interview.