Eli's Hospice Insider

Be prepared to pass a surveyor's test.

Long-term care facilities aren't the only ones who are on the survey hook for failing to report crimes in nursing homes. Under a new survey & certification memo, you could run into survey trouble if you look the other way on suspected crimes against nursing home residents (see related story, p. 49).

In a June 17 survey & cert memo, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services spells out possible deficiency citations for a hospice provider related to the new rule:

• §418.52(b)(4)-L508-The hospice must ensure that all alleged violations involving mistreatment, neglect, or verbal, mental, sexual, and physical abuse, including injuries of unknown source, and misappropriation of patient property by anyone furnishing services on behalf of the hospice, are reported immediately by hospice employees and contracted staff to the hospice administrator.

• §418.112 (c)(8)-L771-The hospice and SNF/NF or ICF/MR must have a written agreement that includes a provision stating that the hospice must report all alleged violations involving mistreatment, neglect, or verbal, mental, sexual, and physical abuse, including injuries of unknown source, and misappropriation of patient property by anyone unrelated to the hospice to the SNF/NF or ICF/MR administrator within 24 hours of the hospice becoming aware of the alleged violation.

Don't miss: "If the events that cause the reasonable suspicion result in serious bodily injury, the report must be made immediately after forming the suspicion (but not later than two hours after forming the suspicion)," CMS spells out.