Failure to Provide Required Written Discharge Notice and Ombudsman Notification
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to provide the required 30-day written notice of discharge to a resident and the resident's responsible party prior to the resident's discharge. The resident, who had a history of psychoactive substance abuse, traumatic brain injury, and impaired cognitive function, was discharged home without the mandated written notification. Documentation shows that the family member was informed verbally and given discharge instructions, but refused to sign the discharge paperwork, stating disagreement with the decision and lack of prior notice. The family member reported not receiving any written 30-day notice or incident report and was told by the administrator that the resident had to leave by the end of the day. Additionally, the facility did not notify the Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman of the resident's discharge as required. The ombudsman confirmed that he was not informed of the discharge and emphasized the importance of timely notification, especially in emergency or unplanned discharges, to ensure advocacy and safe transition for the resident. The facility's practice was to send a list of discharges to the ombudsman once a month, rather than immediately upon discharge, which did not meet regulatory requirements for timely notification. Interviews with facility staff, including an LVN and the administrator, confirmed that the standard procedure of providing a 30-day written notice was not followed in this case. The administrator acknowledged that the notice was not given and that the ombudsman would be notified later as per facility policy. The lack of timely written notice and ombudsman notification was a deviation from both regulatory requirements and the facility's own policy, as documented in the report.