Clarification re: Incident Reports

 

To: Assisted Living Providers and Consumers of Assisted Living Services   From: Jane Flournoy, ALR Section, Health Facilities and Emergency Medical Service Division, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment     For questions, please contact Jane Flournoy at jane.flournoy@state.co.us.   Recently Assisted Living Residences (ALRs) have asked for clarification regarding the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment's access to ALR incident report documents. A number of ALRs have pointed to Chapter 7's Part 18.8 list of resident record content as a comprehensive list of what they believe the Department may access. The items listed under Part 18.8 in Chapter 7 are the required components ALRs must maintain in resident records and are not a comprehensive list of what CDPHE may access. This misunderstanding has mistakenly led to ALRs believing incident reports are "internal working documents" and not accessible to CDPHE.   To help clarify, as a condition of an ALR license and as part of Chapter 2 regulations, Part 2 states:   2.10.5 The licensee shall provide, upon request, access to or copies of the following to the Department for the performance of its regulatory oversight responsibilities: (A) Individual client records. (B) Reports and information required by the Department including but not limited to, staffing reports, census data, statistical information, and other records, as determined by the Department.   Please be sure to make all documentation requested by CDPHE during surveys available, in keeping with Chapter 2, Part 2.10.5 et al. .