WOLF POINT, MT - Federal health inspectors cited Faith Lutheran Home for failing to meet federal requirements for safe resident transfers and discharges following a complaint investigation completed on November 19, 2025. The deficiency, documented under regulatory tag F0627, identified practices that created potential for more than minimal harm to residents at the northeastern Montana facility.
Discharge Safety Requirements Not Met
The complaint investigation determined that Faith Lutheran Home failed to ensure that resident transfers and discharges met individual needs and preferences, and that residents were adequately prepared for safe transitions out of the facility. The citation falls under the category of Resident Rights Deficiencies, a classification that addresses fundamental protections guaranteed to every nursing home resident under federal law.
Federal regulations require nursing facilities to develop and execute comprehensive discharge plans that account for each resident's medical condition, cognitive status, support systems, and personal preferences. A safe discharge involves coordination with receiving facilities or home care providers, medication reconciliation, follow-up appointment scheduling, and ensuring the resident or their representative fully understands the care plan going forward.
When these protocols are not followed, residents face a range of serious risks. Individuals discharged without proper preparation may miss critical medications, lack access to necessary medical equipment, or arrive at a destination without the support systems needed to manage their conditions. For elderly residents with complex medical needs, even a single gap in the transition process can lead to hospital readmissions, health deterioration, or preventable medical emergencies.
Scope and Severity Assessment
Inspectors classified the deficiency at Scope/Severity Level D, indicating an isolated incident with no documented actual harm but with potential for more than minimal harm. While this represents one of the lower severity classifications on the federal enforcement scale, the designation still confirms that inspectors identified a meaningful risk to resident welfare.
The federal severity grid ranges from Level A through Level L, with Level D falling in the lower range. However, discharge-related deficiencies carry inherent risk because their consequences often materialize after the resident has left the facility, making them harder to detect and more difficult to reverse. A resident discharged without proper preparation may not experience the negative effects until days or weeks later, when the gap in care planning becomes apparent through a medical crisis or missed treatment.
Federal Discharge Standards and Resident Protections
Under the Nursing Home Reform Act, facilities must provide written notice to residents at least 30 days before any transfer or discharge, except in specific emergency circumstances. The notice must include the reason for the transfer, the effective date, the receiving location, and information about the resident's right to appeal the decision.
Beyond notification requirements, facilities bear responsibility for creating individualized discharge plans that address the full spectrum of a resident's needs. This includes arranging for continued medical care, ensuring medication continuity, coordinating with family members or caregivers, and confirming that the receiving environment can safely accommodate the resident's care requirements.
Safe discharge planning is recognized across the healthcare industry as a critical patient safety measure. Research has consistently demonstrated that inadequate discharge planning is among the leading contributors to preventable hospital readmissions among elderly patients. Proper transitions require active communication between all parties involved in a resident's care.
Correction Status and Facility Response
The deficiency was classified as Past Non-Compliance, indicating that Faith Lutheran Home had addressed the identified issue by the time the inspection report was finalized. This designation means the facility took corrective action without requiring an ongoing plan of correction, though the citation remains part of the facility's public inspection record.
Faith Lutheran Home is located in Wolf Point, a community of approximately 2,600 residents in Roosevelt County in northeastern Montana. The facility serves a region where long-term care options are limited, making compliance with federal safety standards particularly important for the local population.
Families with loved ones in nursing facilities can review inspection results and deficiency histories through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Care Compare website. Residents and family members who have concerns about discharge planning or any aspect of nursing home care can contact the Montana Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program for assistance and advocacy.
The full inspection report, including detailed findings related to this citation, is available for review on the facility's profile at NursingHomeNews.org.
Full Inspection Report
The details above represent a summary of key findings. View the complete inspection report for Faith Lutheran Home from 2025-11-19 including all violations, facility responses, and corrective action plans.
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