Incomplete Medicare Notices for Residents
Summary
The facility failed to issue the appropriate notice for termination of Medicare Part A benefits for three residents, which could lead to a lack of understanding of appeal rights and the termination of care against the residents' wishes. The review of the facility's policy and CMS guidelines revealed that the Advanced Beneficiary Notice of Non-coverage (ABN) forms were not filled out correctly. Specifically, the forms lacked the necessary options for residents to choose whether they wanted to continue skilled services with payment responsibility, discontinue services, or appeal for further coverage. Additionally, the forms did not include the reason why Medicare would not pay or the estimated cost of services if residents chose to pay out of pocket. For Resident 92, the Notice of Medicare Non-Coverage (NOMNC) did not specify which therapy would be discontinued after the last covered day, and the ABN form was incomplete, lacking the resident's choice and cost information. Similarly, Resident 1's NOMNC and ABN forms were incomplete, with no specific therapy discontinuation details or resident choices indicated. Resident 49, who was moderately cognitively impaired, also had incomplete forms, with the ABN lacking the necessary options and cost details, despite verbal consent from the resident's representative. Interviews with the Social Services Designee (SSDE) and the Administrator revealed a lack of knowledge and understanding regarding the completion of these forms. The SSDE admitted to not specifying which therapy would be discontinued and leaving cost information blank due to a lack of knowledge on where to obtain this information. The Administrator acknowledged the issue and stated that the SSDE is responsible for ensuring all areas of the forms are filled out completely and correctly.
Penalty
Resources
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