VA Heartland Network (VISN 15)

Report ID: SPE000000072052, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Reported Entity: VISN 15 Poplar Bluff, MO

Issue:

Nurse facilitator relates that on 02/23/12, the interdisciplinary team met for rounds on the acute care floor. The team consists of hospitalists, the nurse facilitator and social worker. The patient in question was discussed and the hospitalist felt his condition was good enough to start discharge planning so the social worker proceeded with discharge planning. Upon calling the nursing home from which the patient had been in prior to this admission, the nursing home director stated that they would not be accepting this patient. The social worker then asked why and they stated that a nursing note was faxed to them on 02/22/12 and that from that note they would not accept the patient as he was combative. The social worker then discussed with the nurse facilitator regarding her discussion with the director of the nursing home. The social worker went about trying to find another placement for the patient. The nurse facilitator was sitting out at the nurses station and a question was asked regarding the patient. The nurse facilitator said that he would not be going back to his original nursing home as they are not accepting him. Another nurse spoke up and said that the nurse that faxed the information was the mother of the director of the nursing home and that she and her daughter have been discussing this patient's case all week. Finally, later on that day, the original nursing home accepted the patient. Update: 02/29/12:the nurse who relayed the information to her mother was not involved in the care of the patient. This was an unauthorized disclosure. The patient will recieve a letter of notification.

Outcome:

Employee was educated as well provided training in releasing of information by supervisor.

Related Reports:

1 other violation reported on the same date. Note that other citations may be about the same event: SPE000000072050