Failure to Honor Resident's Right to Hospital Transfer
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to honor a resident's right to self-determination regarding treatment options, specifically the right to request transfer to a hospital. The resident, who had a history of type II diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, schizophrenia, and other mental health conditions, was cognitively intact as evidenced by a BIMS score of 15. Multiple progress notes documented that the resident experienced various acute symptoms, including pallor, clamminess, twitching, incontinence, difficulty breathing, sweating, shaking, diarrhea, nausea, and chest pain radiating to the left arm. On several occasions, the resident explicitly requested to be transferred to the hospital due to these symptoms. Despite these requests, the nursing staff contacted the primary care provider (PCP), who typically ordered laboratory tests and monitoring rather than approving a hospital transfer. In some instances, the PCP did not return calls, and when contacted, often instructed staff to treat the resident in the facility, stating that hospital care would not differ from what could be provided on-site. The resident's care plan did not document repeated requests for hospital transfer, and staff interviews confirmed that the resident's wishes were not honored, with the PCP's refusal cited as the reason. The Social Services Director and the Interim Director of Nursing both acknowledged that the resident had the right to seek care elsewhere, and the Administrator stated that the resident should have been allowed to go to the hospital if requested. The facility's policy on resident rights, which includes self-determination and participation in care decisions, was not followed in these instances. Interviews with staff and the resident confirmed that the resident's repeated requests to be transferred to the hospital were not granted, and the staff deferred to the PCP's decision rather than honoring the resident's right to choose their treatment options. This resulted in a failure to comply with federal and state regulations regarding resident rights.