BOTTINEAU, ND - Federal health inspectors identified a critical gap in end-of-life care services at Good Samaritan Society - Bottineau during a September 2025 inspection, finding the facility failed to properly arrange hospice services for residents or facilitate transfers to facilities capable of providing such care.
Hospice Service Coordination Breakdown
The September 11, 2025 inspection revealed deficiencies in the facility's administration of hospice care under federal regulatory tag F0849. Inspectors found that Good Samaritan Society - Bottineau did not adequately arrange for hospice services or assist residents in transferring to facilities that could provide appropriate end-of-life care.
While inspectors classified this as an isolated incident with no documented actual harm, they determined there was potential for more than minimal harm to affected residents. This distinction indicates that the facility's lapses in hospice coordination could have resulted in residents being deprived of specialized comfort care during their final days.
Understanding Hospice Care Requirements
Hospice care represents a specialized medical service focused on comfort and quality of life for individuals with terminal illnesses, typically those with a prognosis of six months or less. These services include pain management, symptom control, emotional support, and spiritual counseling designed specifically for end-of-life situations.
Federal regulations require nursing facilities to either provide direct access to hospice services or actively facilitate resident transfers to facilities that can accommodate such care. This ensures that residents approaching end of life receive appropriate comfort-focused treatment rather than curative interventions.
When facilities fail to coordinate hospice services, residents may experience inadequate pain management, lack of specialized emotional support, and missed opportunities for dignified end-of-life planning. Family members may also be deprived of critical support services and bereavement counseling that hospice programs provide.
Regulatory Standards for End-of-Life Care
Federal nursing home regulations mandate that facilities assess each resident's care needs and arrange appropriate services accordingly. For residents with terminal conditions, this includes timely hospice referrals and coordination with certified hospice providers.
Facilities must maintain systems to identify residents who might benefit from hospice care, educate families about hospice options, and facilitate smooth transitions to hospice services whether provided on-site or through transfer to another facility. Staff should be trained to recognize when residents' conditions warrant hospice evaluation and to initiate appropriate consultations.
The coordination process should include clear communication with residents and their families about hospice benefits, assistance with enrollment paperwork, and collaboration with hospice agencies to ensure continuity of care. Delays or failures in this coordination can result in residents experiencing preventable discomfort during their final days.
Broader Inspection Findings
The hospice care deficiency represented one of twelve violations identified during the September inspection of Good Samaritan Society - Bottineau. While the specific details of the other deficiencies were not disclosed in available documentation, the presence of multiple citations suggests broader systemic issues with regulatory compliance at the facility.
Federal inspectors assign scope and severity levels to each deficiency based on the extent of the problem and potential impact on residents. The "isolated" designation for this violation indicates it affected a limited number of residents, though the "potential for more than minimal harm" classification underscores the serious nature of denying appropriate end-of-life services.
Corrective Actions and Oversight
Good Samaritan Society - Bottineau reported implementing corrections by October 10, 2025, approximately one month after the inspection. While the facility provided a correction date, the specific remedial measures taken to address the hospice coordination failures were not detailed in public records.
Typical corrective actions for such deficiencies include revising policies and procedures for hospice referrals, providing staff training on end-of-life care coordination, implementing new assessment tools to identify candidates for hospice services, and establishing partnerships with local hospice providers.
Federal and state regulators will conduct follow-up monitoring to verify that corrections remain in place and that the facility maintains ongoing compliance with hospice service requirements. Families considering placement at Good Samaritan Society - Bottineau should inquire about current hospice coordination procedures and partnerships with local hospice agencies.
The complete inspection report with detailed findings is available through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Care Compare website for families seeking additional information about the facility's compliance history.
Full Inspection Report
The details above represent a summary of key findings. View the complete inspection report for Good Samaritan Society - Bottineau from 2025-09-11 including all violations, facility responses, and corrective action plans.
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