Policy Manual sample

MDT Home Health Care Agency, Inc. GROCERY SHOPPING AND ERRANDS POLICY Policy: Promoting Healthy Alimentation, save on healthy food. (For Medicare patient when an Aide visit a patient for healthcare related services, Shopping may be performed as incidental services) Improving access to healthy food is a critical component of the Agency Service Agenda. Objectives: Help to increase access to healthy food to people in low-income communities, and all our clients. Procedures: 1) Illness, weakness, and an inability to drive are just a few factors keeping seniors from working through an ordinary to-do list. Having help with shopping and errands keeps seniors engaged and improves quality of life. Our Aide staff (Home Health Aides, CNAs, Homemaker, Companion, Sitter, etc) are trained in help our clients with grocery shopping and errands. 2) Our Aide staff can shop for groceries at their clients’ preferred stores and run errands, such as picking up prescriptions or stopping at the post office. Clients may choose to stay home or come along for the ride as a way to stay active and engaged. Our aide staff will use any coupons provided. a) If staff car is used (preferable) copy of the valid Staff drivers license, and Car insurance must be on staff file. b) If patient’s car is used as patient/family request or needed, a valid Car insurance must be verified by our staff, if authorized photo may be taken of the patient/family insurance card, but not mandatory. 3) Any incident during Grocery Shopping and errands duties must be reported to the Agency Coordination staff or Director of Nursing, Clinical Manager as soon as possible, but the same date of incident. A complete report is due the following date. Solutions will be implemented by Agency Executive staff as needed. 4) To help access to healthy food as patient/family, insurance, plan, or physician, a help of Dietitian/Nutritional therapist may be included. 5) Handling Patient’s money Payment will be completed always with Patient/Family resources a) If patient accompany our staff, the payment must be completed with patient’s own resources: cash, credit card, food stamp, or any other resources. b) If patient is nor accompany our staff, the payment must be completed with patient’s resources: cash, food stamp, family money. And a receipt must be delivery back to the patient with total expenses clearly noted and if any change was generated must be returned to patient. 6) No tips, gift of any type (including buy food for the staff, money, etc) will be accepted by our staff at any time for doing shopping and errand for our patients. Home Health Agency Nursing Care & Procedures K-221