Inspections by the Georgia Department of Community Health are designed to assist Assisted Living Facilities with finding discrepancies between their operation and state regulations to ensure residents are being cared for properly. The odds are that you will find eventually find yourself with a deficiency in the assisted living facility you operate. The following regulation will direct facilities on how to move forward after rule violations are noted:
111-8-63-.10 Community Accountability
(1) The records required by these rules and other records maintained in the normal course of the business of the community must be available for inspection and review by properly identified representatives of the Department.
(2) Where the Department identifies rule violations, the assisted living community will receive a written report of the inspection. If the assisted living community disagrees with the facts and conclusions stated in the inspection report, it must submit its written statement explaining its disagreement and any evidence supporting the disagreement to the Department within 10 days of the receipt of the written inspection report. Where the Department concurs with the written statement of the assisted living community, it will issue a revised inspection report to the assisted living community.
(3) Within 10 days of receipt of the written report of the inspection, the assisted living community must develop a written plan for correcting any rule violations identified. The plan of correction must identify the specific actions that the assisted living Community Accountability will take by a date certain to come into compliance with each rule for which a deficient practice was identified.
(4) A copy of the most recent inspection report and plan of correction must be displayed in the assisted living community in a location that is routinely used by the community to communicate information to residents and visitors. Additionally, if the community maintains a website, it shall post a web link in a prominent location on the main page of the website that provides access to copies of all inspection reports and plans of correction from the previous 18 months. When the Department develops a website for receiving plans of correction electronically and notifies the community of the appropriate internet address, the community also must file its plan of correction electronically on the Department’s website within 10 days of receipt of the report of the inspection.
(5) The assisted living community must take the corrective actions necessary to achieve compliance with the rules.
(6) The assisted living community must complete and maintain an accurate and current licensed residential care profile on file with the Department when the Department makes available a system for the submission and collection of such information electronically.
(7) The assisted living community Accountability must provide services that are consistent with the information reported on its licensed residential care profile, its license, and these rules.
(8) The assisted living community’s marketing materials must be consistent with its licensure classification as an assisted living community, the information reported on its licensed residential care profile, and these rules.
(9) Only an assisted living community licensed pursuant to these rules may hold itself out as offering
These rule violations can range from something easily correctable to very severe. Use the plan of correction as a tool to improve your practices and ultimately assist you with providing the best patient care possible.