Current through Register Vol. 48, 12, December 27, 2024
A. Serious incidents and/or any sudden or unexpected illness or staff member error resulting in death or inpatient hospitalization shall be reported immediately via telephone to the client's next-of-kin or responsible party.B. A serious incident is one that results in death or a significant loss of function or damage to a body structure not related to the natural course of a client's illness or underlying condition and resulting from an incident that occurs during staff contact with clients. A serious incident shall be considered as, but is not limited to: 1. Falls or trauma resulting in fractures of major limbs or joints;3. Criminal events or assaults against clients which are reported and filed with the police; and/or4. Allegations of client abuse, neglect, or exploitation, as defined in S.C. Code Section 43-35-5 et seq., by an employee.C. The Department's Bureau of Health Facilities Licensing shall be notified in writing within three (3) days of the occurrence of a serious incident.D. Reports submitted to the Department shall contain at a minimum: provider name, client age and sex, date of incident, location, witness name(s), extent and type of injury and how treated, for example, hospitalization, cause of incident, internal investigation results if applicable, identity of other agencies notified of incident and the date of any such report(s).E. The provider shall report any allegation of abuse, neglect, or exploitation of clients to the Adult Protective Services Program in the Department of Social Services in accordance with S.C. Code Section 43-35-25, or Child Protective Services, as appropriate.Added by State Register Volume 38, Issue No. 6, eff 6/27/2014.