Failure to Timely Provide Resident Medical Records Upon Request
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to provide a copy of a resident's medical records in a timely manner after a request was made by the resident's Power of Attorney. The resident had resided at the facility for a week before being transferred to a hospital and did not return. The family member, acting as Power of Attorney, reported making a formal request and signing for the medical records, but only received evasive responses from the facility. The Medical Records staff confirmed that the request was received months earlier and, because it came from a lawyer, was forwarded to corporate, but the records had not been sent out as of the time of the survey. The Administrator acknowledged that the records had only recently been sent and agreed they should have been provided much earlier.