Failure to Provide Required Bed-Hold Notices at Time of Hospital Transfer
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to provide required written bed-hold notices to residents at the time of hospital transfer, as required by its own policy and state regulations. The facility’s undated "Bed Hold Notice" policy stated that in the event of an emergency transfer, written notice of the facility’s bed-hold policies must be provided to the resident and/or resident representative within 24 hours, and a signed and dated copy must be kept in the resident’s record. For one resident who was cognitively intact, the medical record documented that the resident requested transfer to the hospital for treatment and evaluation, but there was no documentation that a bed-hold notice was provided at the time of transfer. For another resident with mild cognitive impairment who was transferred and admitted to the hospital by ambulance, review of the medical record likewise showed no documentation that a bed-hold notice was provided. A hospital staff member reported that the first resident had previously occupied a semi-private room, and when the hospital notified the facility that the resident was ready for discharge, the facility stated only a four-bed room was available because the prior semi-private bed was no longer available; the resident did not want to return to a four-bed room, and the hospital had to locate another facility for discharge. The DNS confirmed that bed-hold forms were not signed and there was no documentation that bed-hold notices were provided to these two residents, and acknowledged that nursing staff were responsible for ensuring bed-hold notices were given when residents were transferred to the hospital with an expected return.
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