Failure to Provide Required Transfer and Bed-Hold Notices
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to provide a resident who was transferred to the Emergency Department with the required written notice of transfer, including the reason for transfer, location of transfer, appeal rights, and contact information for the Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman. Additionally, the resident did not receive written information regarding the facility's bed-hold policy, the reserve bed payment policy, or the right to return to the facility. The facility's policy requires that all residents receive this information in writing at the time of transfer or within 24 hours if the transfer is an emergency. Record review showed that the resident, who was cognitively intact according to a recent MDS assessment, was transferred following a fall with head injury. The documentation provided was incomplete, lacking appeals information, daily rate, and Ombudsman contact details. Interviews with facility leadership revealed uncertainty about whether the required information was provided at the time of transfer, and the resident confirmed not receiving the notice until days after the transfer. The facility was unable to produce documentation showing that the required notifications were given as mandated by policy.