Policy Manual sample

MDT Home Health Care Agency, Inc. ETHICS COMMITTEE PURPOSE: The Home Care Ethics Committee is established to provide a structured forum to review ethical issues impacting home care services provided by MDT Home Health Care Agency, Inc. POLICY: · Patients/Caregivers are provided with written information about the Bill of Rights on admission. · The Ethics Committee shall have qualified members. The membership may include some of the following: * Director of Nursing, Clinical Manager, Administrator * Nurses, field staff * Community Care Coordinators/liaison (if available) * Social Workers (if available) · The Ethics Committee shall meet, as needed, to assure timely review of situations that affect the care and services provided to patients and their families by MDT Home Health Care Agency, Inc. and may employ teleconferencing or written communication as its primary methods of communication. PROCEDURE: · Any staff member may request the convening of the Ethics Committee to address what he/she feels constitutes an ethical issue. · Ethical issues in home care may include, but are not limited to, issues related to autonomy, confidentiality, end-of-life issues, privacy. · To request the convening of the Ethics Committee, the staff member shall contact the Clinical Supervisor/Director of Nursing, Clinical Manager. · The Clinical Supervisor/Director of Nursing, Clinical Manager shall contact the Chairperson of the Committee who will schedule a meeting of the Ethics Committee. · The patient, or his/her family, may request a convening of the Ethics Committee to discuss what they feel constitutes an ethical issue by notifying the nurse/therapist caring for the patient of his/her wishes. The nurse/therapist will then follow the above stated procedure to convene the Committee. · Annual reports addressing Ethics Committee activities are submitted to the Performance Improvement Committee (QAPI), the Administrator and the Corporate Compliance Officer. Home Health Agency Policies A-148