Failure to Provide Bed Hold Policy Notice During Hospital Transfers
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to provide written notice of the bed hold policy to the resident or their representative at the time of hospital transfers for two residents. One resident with diagnoses including congestive heart failure and dementia was transferred to the hospital on two separate occasions and returned each time, but there was no documentation that the required bed hold policy notice was given during either transfer. Similarly, another resident with hypoxia and Alzheimer's disease was also transferred to the hospital twice and returned, with no evidence that the bed hold policy notice was provided at or after the time of transfer. Interviews with the Administrator and a nursing supervisor confirmed that it was the nursing staff's responsibility to ensure the bed hold policy was provided to the resident or their representative at the time of transfer. The nursing supervisor acknowledged that the bed hold policy form was not completed for one of the residents due to oversight, and that the policy was not included in the transfer packet. The facility's own policy requires that written information about bed hold rights, payment policies, and transfer details be given to the resident and representative prior to transfer, but this was not followed in these cases.