Failure to Provide Required Written Discharge Notices and Appeal Information
Penalty
Summary
The deficiency involves the facility’s failure to provide required written discharge notices, including information on appeal rights and bed-hold policies, to three cognitively intact or partially impaired residents who were dependent on staff for ADLs. Facility policy and resident rights documents required that, once admitted, residents have the right to remain in the facility and that any transfer or discharge must meet specific criteria, include proper documentation in the medical record, and be accompanied by written notice detailing the basis for discharge, effective date, new location, appeal rights, and bed-hold policy. Despite these requirements, the facility moved residents off a rehab unit as part of a reconfiguration to group rehab residents together and free up rooms, without issuing the mandated 30‑day or emergency discharge notices. For one resident, progress notes showed the resident and POA were offered placement in a semi‑private LTC room but expressed concerns about room size and setup, and an option to transfer to another facility was offered and accepted. The family member later reported receiving a phone call stating the resident needed to be out within a few days due to reconstruction of the rehab unit and the need to have only rehab residents on that unit, and stated they were not offered a different room in the same facility, did not have a chance to see the new facility, were unaware of resident rights, and did not receive a written discharge notice. The medical record documented a SNF‑to‑SNF transfer and discharge to another facility, but there was no documentation of a written discharge notice or provision of appeal rights and bed‑hold information. For two additional residents, records showed SNF‑to‑SNF transfers and discharges to other facilities, with notes indicating consent obtained and referrals sent, but again without documentation of written discharge notices. Family members reported being told by phone that the residents had to be moved within two days because the rooms were being converted back to rehab use or to make room for an emergency admission, that they felt they had no choice, and that they were not informed of appeal rights. One family member reported the resident’s belongings were hastily packed into boxes, and another reported there was no communication from the discharging facility to the receiving facility regarding medications and pain management. The social workers stated they were instructed by an individual they understood to be the administrator to move residents to free up rooms for rehab residents and believed that written discharge notices were not required for SNF‑to‑SNF transfers, and acknowledged that no 30‑day or emergency discharge notices were issued to these residents.
We Help Long-Term Care Teams Stay Survey-Ready
We process and analyze inspection reports and plan of correction using AI to extract insights and trends so providers can improve care quality and stay ahead of compliance risks.