Failure to Timely Provide Resident Medical Records
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to provide timely access to medical records for a former resident whose personal representative, through a law firm, submitted a request for a complete copy of all records. The initial request, accompanied by a signed medical authorization and a court order, was made on 03/31/25, with a follow-up request on 05/12/25. Despite these requests, the records were not made available until 08/20/25, when a secure link was finally provided to the law firm. Review of the uploads confirmed that the resident's medical records were uploaded on 08/13/25, but access was not granted until a week later. Interviews with staff revealed that the delay was due to the former medical records employee's failure to fulfill the requests, which was later confirmed by the Licensed Nursing Home Administrator. The facility's policy required approval from the Corporate Clinical Director and written consent for record release, but these procedures did not result in timely fulfillment of the requests. The deficiency was identified during a review of medical record requests, emails, staff interviews, and facility policy, and affected one resident out of three reviewed for such requests.