This week on the CMSCG Blog, our “Ftag of the Week” is F575 Required Postings. Issues related to F575 are a common “gotcha” citation on CMSCG mock surveys – and really shouldn’t be an issue during any survey conducted by your State Survey Agency. Let’s look at the requirements for F575, which includes a list of information that needs to be posted “in a form and manner accessible and understandable” to residents and their representatives. This means that the posted information should be easily readable and posted in prominent areas, such as lobbies or unit bulletin boards. If your facility has residents who require translation or other communication assistance, instructions on how to access this information should be posted.
Let’s look at the required information:
Facilities are required to post a list of names, email addresses, phone numbers and mailing addresses for all pertinent State agencies and advocacy organizations. This includes:
- State Survey Agency
- State licensure office
- Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program
- Medicaid Fraud Control Unit
- Protection and advocacy network
- Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS)
- Adult Protective Services (in states where this is applicable)
In addition to contact information, providers are also required to post a statement about the resident’s ability to file a complaint. The regulatory language at F575 notes that the statement must include that a resident may file a complaint with the State Survey Agency concerning any suspected violation of State or federal nursing facility regulations, including, but not limited to:
- Resident abuse, neglect, exploitation, and misappropriation of resident property in the facility
- Noncompliance with advance directives requirements
- Noncompliance with requests for information regarding return to the community
It’s time to take a stroll around your building and ensure you have all the necessary postings available. You may find that over time, posting areas have become cluttered and documents may have been removed or are obstructed by other informational postings.
While you are taking this stroll, it might be a good idea to check the font size used for each posting as “older” eyes may not be able to read small print and would appreciate your efforts to make all postings in a large enough font size that make it easier for them to read. Also keep in mind a resident population that primarily utilizes wheelchairs may not even be aware of postings that are at eye level for an ambulatory person. Lastly, if it is your facility’s practice to only post required information in one location, you should consider posting locator signage on the units to alert residents and others as to where the required information can be found.
