F0628

E

Failure to Provide Required Notices and Clinical Information During Hospital Transfers

Seattle, Washington Survey Completed on 03-09-2026

Penalty

No penalty information released

Summary

The deficiency involves the facility’s failure to develop and implement an effective system for communication and provision of medical records when residents were transferred to the hospital, both for residents expected to return and those not expected to return. Facility policies required that residents transferred for emergency treatment receive a notice of transfer as soon as practicable, that the state agency transfer/discharge notice be completed, and that the facility’s bed-hold policy be provided. Another policy required that specific clinical information be conveyed to the receiving provider, including practitioner and representative contact information, advance directives, care plan, current status and baseline function, diagnoses, allergies, medications, diagnostic tests, and a discharge summary. A facility checklist directed staff to notify the physician, administrator, DON, and resident representative, complete a hospital transfer form, provide the state transfer/discharge notice and bed-hold policy, send a defined packet of clinical documents with the resident, and document all required elements in the medical record.

For one resident, the admission MDS showed significant hearing and vision impairment, cognitive impairment, acute kidney failure, history of kidney transplant, pressure ulcers, and other complex diagnoses, with total dependence on staff for personal care and mobility. The comprehensive care plan documented an advance directive with a designated representative, an infected foot wound requiring a mid-line IV antibiotic, and detailed care for the infected pressure ulcer and IV site. The MAR and TAR contained extensive information on medications, including IV antibiotics, isolation requirements, and specific wound care instructions. On the date of transfer, a progress note recorded that the physician evaluated the resident, determined a hospital transfer was necessary, and that the resident was sent by ambulance with no bed hold desired; no additional information was documented. A hospitalist later reported that the ED received no paperwork with the resident, that multiple attempts to obtain a medication list and status report from the facility were unsuccessful, and that the facility did not inform the hospital about the mid-line IV indication or the severe infected foot wound. The hospital pharmacist ultimately had to contact the facility’s pharmacy to obtain the medication and IV information.

The LPN assigned to this resident on the day of transfer stated they called the resident representative and arranged transportation, and that they sent only a face sheet and lab results with the resident. The LPN acknowledged they did not call the ED, did not send a hospital transfer sheet, did not complete or provide the state transfer/discharge notice or the bed-hold notice to the resident or representative, and did not use the discharge checklist. The LPN further stated they completed the hospital transfer form after the resident left and did not send it with the resident, and that the MAR, care plan, diagnostic results, advance directives, and change-of-condition form should have been sent but were not.

For a second resident, the admission MDS documented cognitive loss, back surgery, bone infection, kidney failure requiring dialysis, and multiple pressure ulcers, with total dependence on staff for personal care and mobility. The comprehensive care plan showed the resident required a specialty mattress, was at high risk for falls, had specific behaviors with defined interventions, required medication monitoring, had an infection, was on IV antibiotics, and required specific isolation precautions. The MAR and TAR contained detailed instructions for routine and IV medications, isolation requirements, and wound care for multiple pressure ulcers. A progress note documented that the resident was sent to the hospital via ambulance for a change in condition, with multiple diagnostic tests and results, vital signs, and contact with the on-call physician who directed transfer to the ED. The LPN reported that, for this transfer, they again did not use the discharge checklist, sent only the face sheet and lab results, did not send a hospital transfer form because it was completed after the resident left, and did not provide the state transfer/discharge notice or bed-hold form to the resident or representative.

The resident care manager stated that nurses were expected to follow the discharge checklist, complete the state transfer/discharge notice and bed-hold form when a resident was sent to the hospital, and call the ED to provide a report. The administrator stated that staff did not follow facility policy and that the failure in practice was identified in their system for discharging residents to the hospital. The administrator also stated that nursing staff were expected to complete the hospital transfer form, call the hospital with resident status information, complete all documentation, and send all required documents to the hospital, including the state transfer/discharge notice and bed-hold form to be provided to residents or their representatives and entered into the medical record. These expectations were not met for the two residents reviewed for hospitalization, resulting in noncompliance with WAC 388-97-0120, -0080, and -0140.