F0582

D

Failure to Timely Issue Refund to Discharged Resident

Sarasota, Florida Survey Completed on 02-10-2026

Penalty

No penalty information released

Summary

The facility failed to ensure a resident’s refund was issued within the required timeframe after discharge. The resident was admitted on 12/9/25 as Medicaid pending and discharged on 12/16/25. According to the Business Office Manager (BOM), the resident did not provide the information needed to complete the Medicaid application and was switched to private pay. The resident’s life companion reported that a check for $2660.00 had been given to the facility and that they had been waiting for a refund since the discharge, having recently spoken with the Administrator but still not receiving the money. The BOM stated that the resident had paid a patient responsibility of $891.00 and that the facility owed a refund for this amount after the check was processed.

The Administrator confirmed that the resident was admitted as Medicaid pending, later converted to private pay, and that a refund was owed, but explained that checks were issued at the corporate level rather than by the facility. Documentation showed the resident was active from 12/9/25 through 12/16/25, with an invoice for seven days of private room and board at $380.00 per day totaling $2660.00. The facility’s Resident Refund Policy, implemented 05/2025 and reviewed 1/2026, stated that private pay refunds were to be issued within 30–45 days after the resident account was fully reconciled. The Regional Business Office Manager reported that there had been confusion about the refund amount, that reconciliation occurred on 1/6/26, and that although the refund check had been obtained, as of 2/10/26 the resident still had not received the refund. She verified that the policy did not specify refunds must be provided within 30 days from the date of discharge and that the resident remained without the refund well beyond discharge.