Choose Well Appeals Procedure

The Choose Well Appeals Procedure

If a provider doesn't like their Choose Well Score, based on a factual error, the provider can appeal their Choose Well Score.  The procedure, approved by the County is reproduced here.  

I.          Purpose

The purpose of the Choose Well Appeal Procedure is to provide a forum for volunteer Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly (RCFEs) to dispute a facility rating received by the RCFE using the established Choose Well scoring methods. 

II.        Choose Well Appeal Committee

Appeals of a facility rating will be heard by The Choose Well Appeal Committee. The Committee will be made up of not less than three, and not more than five self-nominated individuals in the following numbers:  1 CARR staff, 2 consumers from the Advisory Workgroup, and 2 providers from the Advisory Workgroup.  This subset of the Advisory Workgroup will be called the Choose Well Appeal Committee.   

III.       Appeal Statement

If the licensee believes that a citation used in the Choose Well calculations and facility score is factually inaccurate, the licensee may submit the issue to the Choose Well Appeal Committee. Written requests for appeal will be submitted to the Choose Well program staff, which will in turn disseminate the information to the Choose Well Appeal Committee.  The Appeal statement will include a) a statement of the dispute, b) documents that propose to correct the error, and c) any other information that the facility believes may assist the Choose Well Appeal Committee.  

IV.       Choose Well Timelines

  1. Pending Score Notification:  When a Choose Well score is scheduled for posting, the facility owner will be notified in writing via email.  Provider then has 10 business days, from the date of notification, in which to appeal the Choose Well score.  Upon receipt of an appeal, and while an appeal is pending, the score will not be published.  The appeal must contain the elements identified in III above. If the facility owner does not appeal within 10 business days, the Choose Well score will be posted to the website.
  2. Decision: If the facility owner appeals within 10 business days, the appeal will be transmitted to the Choose Well Appeal Committee.  The Committee will consider the appeal and will notify facility owner, in writing, of the decision of the Choose Well Appeal Committee not later than 30 working days following the date of receipt of the appeal by the Choose Well staff.  All committee decisions will be final.
  3. Publication of Score: Following the facility owner’s receipt of the final decision, facility owner shall have 15 business days to request the Facility Profile Page and associated Choose Well score be removed from the website.  The owner’s facility will however remain part of the directory on the site.  If no written request is received by the Choose Well staff to remove the Choose Well score and Facility Profile Page, the score will be posted to the Choose Well site.

VI.       Policy Revision

This Choose Well Appeal Procedure may be changed from time to time, at the direction of the County of San Diego, AIS.

COSD Approved 6/7/2016