Failure to Timely Reimburse Resident Funds to Estate After Death
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to accurately manage and reimburse the personal funds account of a resident after the resident's death. The resident's representative had opened a trust account upon admission, and the resident passed away before any funds were used. Despite the representative's repeated attempts to contact the facility regarding the refund, there was no documentation in the electronic medical record indicating that the facility had attempted to return the funds or contact the representative after the resident's death. The admission agreement contained the correct contact information, but the face sheet had an incorrect phone number for the representative. The business office manager initially stated that the resident did not have an account, but later confirmed the account existed and said a refund check would be sent. The facility sent a check to an old address, which was returned, and made no further attempts to contact the representative, despite having the correct information in the admission agreement. This resulted in the resident's estate not being reimbursed within 30 days as required.