Failure to Refund Resident's Funds Timely
Summary
The facility failed to refund a resident's funds within 30 days of discharge. The resident, who had multiple diagnoses including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, and bipolar disorder, left the facility against medical advice (AMA) and requested her money. Despite the resident's repeated calls to the facility, her account was not closed until over a month after her discharge, resulting in her Social Security payment being sent to the facility instead of to her directly. The Business Office Manager (BOM) and Corporate Director of Accounts Receivable were both involved but did not ensure the timely closure of the resident's account. The resident's account showed a Social Security deposit and care cost withdrawal on the day of her discharge, leaving a balance that was not refunded promptly. The BOM admitted to not knowing the process for handling funds after a resident's discharge and relied on corporate to manage it. The Corporate Director of Accounts Receivable acknowledged that the account should have been closed earlier to prevent the Social Security payment from being sent to the facility. The delay was partly attributed to a religious holiday that affected the office's operations. The facility's policy requires the safeguarding and management of resident funds, but the process was not followed correctly in this case. The Administrator in Training and other staff members were unclear about the procedures for closing accounts upon discharge, leading to the resident's financial distress. The resident, who was living in a women's shelter, repeatedly contacted the facility about her funds, highlighting the urgency of the situation. The facility eventually issued checks to the Social Security Administration to rectify the issue, but the delay caused significant inconvenience to the resident.
Penalty
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