09/17/2026

You Asked... We Answered

You Asked: What information must be sent with a resident who is transferred to the emergency room?

We Answered: When a nursing home resident is transferred to the emergency department, federal requirements at 42 CFR §483.15(c)(2), F628 require the facility to communicate appropriate information to the receiving healthcare provider to support a safe and effective transition of care. The requirement is not simply to send the facility’s standard transfer form.

At a minimum, the information provided to the receiving provider must include:

• Contact information of the practitioner who was responsible for the care of the resident;
• Resident representative information, including contact information;
• Advance directive information;
• All special instructions and/or precautions for ongoing care, as appropriate such as:
• Treatments and devices (oxygen, implants, IVs, tubes/catheters);
• Transmission-based precautions such as contact, droplet, or airborne;
• Special risks such as risk for falls, elopement, bleeding, or pressure injury and/or aspiration precautions;
• The resident’s comprehensive care plan goals; and
• All other information necessary to meet the resident’s needs, which includes, but may not be limited to:
• Resident status, including baseline and current mental, behavioral, and functional status, reason for transfer, recent vital signs;
• Diagnoses and allergies;
• Medications (including when last received); and
• Most recent relevant labs, other diagnostic tests, and recent immunizations.
• Additional information, if any, outlined in the transfer agreement with the acute care provider See §483.70(j) for additional information.