Question: If a resident leaves our facility to go to the hospital and is not admitted into the hospital but dies, do I need to complete a discharge assessment?
California Subscriber
Answer: No. According to the Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI) Manual, you need to complete a Death in Facility tracking record, but a discharge assessment is not required. According to the scenario you describe, the resident was on a leave of absence (LOA) from the facility, which includes the following situations, according to the RAI Manual, page 2-13:
The RAI Manual specifies that such situations do not require completion of a discharge assessment (or an entry tracking record, though that wouldn’t apply in this case anyway).
Even if your billing company or another administrative entity believe that a discharge assessment is appropriate, remember that completing only the Death in Facility tracking record is following the RAI Manual’s guidance.
