Guthrie Cortland Medical Center
GUTHRIE CORTLAND MEDICAL CENTER in CORTLAND, NY — inspection on March 31, 2026.
Found 1 citation. Severity: Standard violations.
Health inspections identify deficiencies that facilities must correct within required timeframes. Violations range from minor documentation issues to serious safety concerns and are subject to follow-up verification.
Inspection Findings
disconnected.
The door was not repaired until 07/17/2024, three (3) days after Resident #1 eloped
jeopardy to resident health or 07/14/2024 they were notified by the 3rd floor charge nurse that Resident #1 eloped from the safety building.
They instructed Registered Nurse #5 to do an assessment to ensure the resident had no injuries.
The Director of Nursing reviewed the facility video footage and stated the 3rd floor door
when they reviewed it, but stated Security gave the footage to them. Resident #1 had exit seeking behaviors and was assessed as a high risk for elopement.
The Director of Nursing stated after the incident, a stretcher was placed in front of the 3rd floor door in addition to the yellow accordion style barrier until the door was fixed.
They did not know the outside vendor did not repair the door until 07/17/2024.
They stated Resident #1 was placed under constant supervision after the incident and staff were educated on elopement and exit seeking behaviors.
During an interview on 02/05/2026 at 2:14 PM, Certified Nurse Aide #11 stated on 07/14/2024 Resident #1 was exit-seeking all day, all of the time while they were working. Resident #1 constantly wandered in and out of resident rooms, near the doors, tried to enter the medication rooms, and was constantly trying to exit the facility.
The resident was not on any special watches before the elopement; staff just knew to watch the resident all the time and redirect them. On 07/14/2024, the resident went missing.
Staff were not aware the stairwell door was broken.
Certified Nurse Aide #11 stated they assisted with searching for the resident, the resident was found outside near the front of the building and was returned to the unit.
After the incident, they placed a stretcher in front of the broken door to keep the resident from exiting again and they had to monitor the resident closely so they would not climb over the stretcher.
They did not have the staff to do a 1:1 (one to one) with the resident.
They were not aware of any repairs to the door.
Security accompanied the resident back to the unit with staff and stated the alarm on the door did not work.
They did not recall when the door was fixed.
New York Code Rules & Regulations: 415.12(h)(2).__________________________________________________________________Immediate Jeopardy past non-compliance was identified, and the Administrator on Record was notified on 02/06/2026 at 2:32 PM.
The facility is currently in compliance.
The facility provided verification the following corrective actions were completed:-Resident #1 was immediately placed on 15-minute safety checks and kept under line-of-sight supervision when outside of their room; continued with use of a wander alert device; and resided in a room adjacent to the nursing station for frequent observations.-All staff were educated on the Elopement policy and what measures to take if a resident went missing.
Education included a power point presentation and post-tests. -On 07/17/2024, all exit and stairwell doors in the facility on the 2nd and 3rd floors were repaired by an outside vendor.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is an F-tag violation?
- F-tags are federal deficiency codes used by CMS to categorize nursing home violations. Each F-tag corresponds to a specific federal regulation (42 CFR Part 483). For example, F607 relates to abuse prevention policies, F880 relates to infection control.
- Were these violations corrected?
- Facilities must submit plans of correction and implement changes within required timeframes. CMS conducts follow-up inspections to verify corrections. Check the inspection report for specific correction dates and follow-up verification status.
- How often do nursing home inspections happen?
- CMS conducts unannounced inspections of all Medicare/Medicaid-certified nursing homes at least once per year. Additional inspections may occur based on complaints, facility-reported incidents, or follow-up to verify previous violations were corrected.
- What should families do about these violations?
- Families should: (1) Review the full inspection report for details, (2) Ask facility administration about specific corrective actions taken, (3) Check if this represents a pattern by reviewing prior inspections, (4) Compare with other facilities in CORTLAND, NY, (5) Report new concerns to state authorities.
- Where can I see the full inspection report?
- Complete inspection reports are available on Medicare.gov's Care Compare website (www.medicare.gov/care-compare). You can also request copies directly from GUTHRIE CORTLAND MEDICAL CENTER or from the state Department of Health. Reports include deficiency codes, facility responses, and correction timelines.