Failure to Provide Timely Access to Resident Medical Records
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to provide timely access to medical records requested by or on behalf of residents, as required by its own policy and state regulations. Specifically, for three residents, the facility received signed, written requests for the release of medical records but did not fulfill these requests within the timeframes outlined in the facility's policy. The policy states that residents may access their records within 24 hours (excluding weekends and holidays) of a written request and may obtain photocopies with at least 48 hours' advance notice. However, documentation showed significant delays in providing the requested records, with some requests taking several weeks to be fulfilled. During an interview, the Medical Records Director acknowledged that the records for the three residents were not released to the requestors in a timely manner. The deficiency was identified through staff interviews, review of facility policy, and examination of facility documentation, confirming that the facility did not adhere to its own procedures or regulatory requirements regarding resident access to medical records.