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Texas Health and Human Services Commission Reminder to LTC Facilities about Death Reporting Requirements

Last updated on

Information posted July 23, 2020

The following are HHSC’s requirements for care facilities to report resident deaths to HHSC, including deaths from COVID-19.

  • Nursing facilities must report:
    • Any resident death that happen in the facility or of residents who die within 24 hours of transfer to a hospital. The facility must report these deaths to HHSC via TULIP within 10 working days of the last day of the month in which a death occurs.
    • All deaths under unusual circumstances to Complaint and Incident Intake within 24 hours. See PL 19-16.
  • Assisted living facilities and day activity and health services facilities must report any death of unknown cause to Complaint and Incident Intake within 24 hours. See:
    • PL 19-23 (assisted living facility)
    • PL 15-14 (day activity and health services).
  • Intermediate care facilities must report all deaths to Complaint and Incident Intake within one hour. See:
  • In-patient hospices must report unexpected deaths related to using restraint or seclusion (see 26 Texas Administrative Code §558.871(n)(link is external)). The in-patient hospice must report these deaths to Complaint and Incident Intake within 24 hours of knowledge of the client’s death.
     
  • Prescribed Pediatric Extended Care Centers must report a minor’s death that happens in the center or of any minor who dies within 24 hours of transfer from the center to the hospital to Complaint Incident Intake. See 26 TAC §550.905(link is external).
  • Home and Community-based Services and Texas Home Living Program Providers must report all deaths of people receiving HCS or TxHmL services to HHSC by the end of the next business day following the death or the program provider’s learning of the death. See IL 12-28.

Note: If the death may have been from abuse, neglect, or exploitation, more reporting requirements may exist.