The care plans, which Federal law requires nursing homes to provide for all residents, can help mitigate risk when developed properly. A properly created care plan assures the facility meets resident’s needs by providing clear, comprehensive instructions for service understandable to all designated care providers, whether or not they are familiar with the resident. One of the goals of a service plan is risk management, the facility must assess the resident’s health, cognitive, and psychosocial status to determine that needs can be adequately served before they move in.
Who Develops the Service Plan?
The actual care plan should be developed with the assistance of the resident, or, if the resident is not able to do so, a family member or other designated representative. A care plan team consisting of staff, the resident’s physician, family members if available, and the resident (if possible) work together on the plan. The facility should develop appropriate forms – including a checklist of steps and the documentation required – in order to provide consistency and facilitate comprehensive completion of each plan.
What should be in the Service Plan?
The service plan begins with the resident’s medical history. Documents such as a power of attorney, guardianship paper, a living will, do-not-resuscitate order are included.
The care team needs to address both medical and non-medical concerns, and outline how the facility’s staff will assist the resident. A specific list of the resident’s problems, including medical diagnosis is created. For each problem listed, the team needs to determine if it can be improved, maintained, or is likely to deteriorate. Then an appropriate care plan is developed for each listing what each staff member will do with expected outcomes.
Constant revisions and updates should be made to resident service plans to assure consistent, quality care.
At Connected Risk Solutions, we are ready to help your clients by providing innovative insurance and risk management solutions specifically designed to meet their needs. Please contact us today for additional information about the programs we offer at one of our two offices in Chicago at 847-832-9100 or Lansing at 517-676-7100.
