Failure to Provide Bed Hold Policy Notification During Hospital Transfers
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to provide required bed hold policy notifications to two residents who were discharged to the hospital. In both cases, the residents were cognitively intact and had been discharged with a return anticipated. For one resident, there was no documentation in the clinical record that a bed hold notice was provided or offered, despite the transfer/discharge form indicating that the bed hold policy should be attached. Nursing notes only indicated that appropriate documentation was sent with emergency personnel, but did not specify that the bed hold notice was included or received by the resident. For the second resident, although nursing notes stated that the notice of transfer and bed hold forms were completed, there was no indication in the clinical record of who received the bed hold form. Staff interviews revealed that the bed hold policy was typically given to emergency personnel to take to the hospital, but not directly to the resident or their representative, and that documentation of this process was lacking in the clinical record. The Director of Nursing admitted to discarding the bed hold policies after scanning the notice of transfer/discharge, resulting in the absence of these documents in the residents' records.