Failure to Provide Written Bed Hold Notice During Hospital Transfers
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to provide a written bed hold notice to one resident during two separate transfers to the hospital. According to the facility's Bed Hold and Returns Policy, residents and their representatives are to receive written information prior to transfer that details their rights and limitations regarding bed holds, the reserve bed payment policy, and the facility per diem rate for holding a bed. Review of the resident's clinical record showed no evidence that such a notice was provided during either transfer. The resident, who was cognitively intact and acted as his own responsible party, confirmed in an interview that he did not receive a written bed hold notice on either occasion. Staff interviews revealed that the process for providing bed hold information was not consistently followed. An LPN stated that while she included a blank bed hold policy in the packet sent with transport, she did not provide anything in writing directly to the resident. The DON confirmed that the resident should have received a written bed hold policy at the time of each transfer and acknowledged that there was no record of this occurring for the resident in question.