Arkansas Could Better Ensure That Intermediate Care Facilities for Individuals With Intellectual Disabilities Comply With Federal Requirements for Life Safety, Emergency Preparedness, and Infection Control

Why OIG Did This Audit

• Intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual disabilities (ICF/IIDs) that participate in Medicaid are required by CMS to comply with requirements intended to protect residents. This includes requirements related to fire safety and emergency preparedness plans. Facilities are also required to develop infection control programs.
• In Arkansas, the State’s Arkansas Department of Human Services conducts surveys of ICF/IIDs for compliance with Federal requirements.
• This audit is part of a series of audits that assesses compliance with CMS’s life safety, emergency preparedness, and infection control requirements for ICF/IIDs.

What OIG Found

We identified 93 deficiencies related to life safety, emergency preparedness, and infection control at the 10 ICF/IIDs in Arkansas that we reviewed. These deficiencies put residents, staff, and visitors at an increased risk of injury or death during a fire or other emergency.

What OIG Recommends

We recommend that Arkansas:

1. follow up with the 10 ICF/IIDs to verify that they have taken corrective actions on the life safety, emergency preparedness, and infection control deficiencies identified during the audit;
2. work with State surveyors to include all areas of life safety, emergency preparedness, and infection control when conducting their reviews at ICF/IIDs as required by CMS; and
3. work with CMS to develop standardized life safety, emergency preparedness, and infection control training for ICF/IID staff.

Arkansas concurred with our recommendations and described the actions it plans to take to address them.

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