Failure to Provide Required Bed-Hold Rate Notification During Hospitalization
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to provide a resident or their representative with written notice specifying the duration and daily rate of the bed-hold policy during two separate hospitalizations. According to the facility's own policy, a bed-hold letter should be sent to the resident or their designee, clearly stating the amount to be paid per day for a private bed hold. However, review of the documentation for the resident's transfers to the hospital revealed that the notices sent did not include the specific daily bed-hold rate, only general information about the policy and a statement that the rate would be communicated later. Interviews with staff indicated a lack of clarity and consistency regarding the process for notifying residents or their representatives about the bed-hold rate. The LPN stated that no paperwork was sent by the charge nurse to the family, and the DON was unsure if the notification included the required rate or where documentation of the mailing was kept. The social worker reported that she no longer documented when the bed-hold notification was sent and was unaware that the specific charge needed to be included in the notice. The resident involved had a primary diagnosis of hereditary and idiopathic neuropathy and was transferred to the hospital on two occasions for altered mental status.