What are the possible outcomes of an investigation and what do they mean?
If the surveyor was able to find sufficient evidence, the complaint will be considered substantiated. If a complaint is substantiated, there are two further determinations that are made regarding the problems at the hospice. The first determination that can be made is “substantiated with deficiencies cited.” In this event the Department will issue a statement of deficiencies or a list of problems to the facility. The hospice must then submit a written plan of correction to the Department. The plan tells us how the hospice intends to prevent a recurrence of the problem in the future. A second determination that can be made is “substantiated with no deficiencies cited.” This means that the allegation was true, but they did not violate any of the State or Federal regulations. We are only permitted to issue deficiencies according to the state and federal regulations that we monitor and enforce. It is not always possible to substantiate allegations due to the passage of time, lack of docume
