Federal inspectors found Ansted Center violated discharge regulations when administrators blocked Resident #63 from returning after a hospital stay for behavioral evaluation. The facility's corporate clinical team made the decision based on aggressive behaviors that occurred before the hospitalization.
The resident was transferred to the local emergency room due to aggressive behavior. Progress notes documented the person had exhibited increased agitation and verbal aggression, prompting a physician to order the hospital transfer for further evaluation.
But when the hospital tried to send the resident back, Ansted Center refused.
A hospital care manager told inspectors the facility declined to readmit the resident and said the person "could not return to the building or to any facility owned/operated by the same company." The nursing home had not informed hospital staff during the initial transfer that the resident would be barred from returning.
The facility failed to complete any required discharge procedures. Inspectors found no documentation showing administrators had completed a discharge notice, involved the resident and their representative in discharge planning, documented that the resident's needs could not be met at the facility, or made efforts to determine reasonable accommodations.
Federal regulations require nursing homes to provide proper notice and planning when discharging residents, even those sent to hospitals for behavioral issues.
The facility had space available. Inspectors confirmed through bed census records that Ansted Center had an available bed on and after the date the resident's hospital bed-hold period expired.
During an interview, the administrator confirmed the corporate clinical administrative team had declined to readmit Resident #63 due to behavioral issues. He acknowledged that no discharge notice was issued.
The violation affected few residents but carried potential for actual harm under federal inspection standards. Ansted Center operates 60 beds in Fayette County, West Virginia.
The case illustrates how nursing homes can effectively discharge residents by sending them to hospitals and then refusing readmission — a practice that bypasses federal protections designed to prevent inappropriate discharges. When facilities refuse to take residents back from hospitals, those individuals often become stranded in medical settings or forced into inappropriate placements.
Federal law requires nursing homes to demonstrate they cannot meet a resident's needs before discharging them, and to provide advance notice and planning support. The regulations are designed to prevent facilities from using hospital transfers as a way to remove residents they find challenging to care for.
The hospital care manager's account suggests Ansted Center's parent company has a policy of barring residents from all its facilities once deemed problematic — a practice that could leave vulnerable individuals without housing options in communities where the company operates multiple homes.
Inspectors completed their investigation following a complaint about the incident. The facility must submit a plan of correction addressing how it will comply with federal discharge requirements in the future.
Full Inspection Report
The details above represent a summary of key findings. View the complete inspection report for Ansted Center from 2025-10-30 including all violations, facility responses, and corrective action plans.