Policy Manual sample

MDT Home Health Care Agency, Inc. POLICY ON ADVANCE DIRECTIVES PURPOSE: To provide an atmosphere of respect and caring to ensure patient’s ability and right to participate in medical decision making, to ensure patient’s wishes about his/her care, treatment and services are respected in accordance with acceptable standards of practice, ethics and applicable laws, to assure compliance with the Patient Self-Determination Act (PSDA), to expand patient, family, staff knowledge base regarding advance directives and the process by which patient participation in medical decision making is fostered by the Agency. POLICY: 1. At the time of Admission we will inform patients about the Agency’s written policies on implementation of Advance Directives. The Agency recognizes the right of the competent adult to make a verbal or written declaration regarding decisions about his own medical care. This would include deciding to have the medical or surgical means or procedures calculated to prolong life provided, withheld or withdrawn. 2. The Agency will accept and act upon written advance directives received from the patient or patient's caregiver, to the extent permitted and required by Law. a.A "Do Not Resuscitate" (DNR) order or a "Do Not Intubate" (DNI) order will be accepted only if properly executed by the patient's physician. b.Appropriate actions to be taken will be discussed with the patient and/or patient's caregiver when such order is received. 3.Patients, patient caregivers, agency staff and the community will be educated on issues concerning advance directives. a. Patients and families/caregivers will be educated with printed material delivered at sign up date, containing all state mandatory regulations regarding Advance Directives that explained each topic like living will, DNR orders, testaments, etc. b. Community trough Advance Directives information brochures/flyers, available at our Agency. c. Agency staff trough orientations and in-services conducted in our Agency. 4.The presence or absence of Advance Directives will not influence the decision to provide health care. a.If not properly executed Advance Directive has been presented, all staff will follow standard emergency procedures. b.All personnel involved in the patient's care will be notified of the presence of any Advance Directive and its content. c.Any change in the patient's Advance Directive will be communicated to all personnel. 5.When a patient is transferred or referred to any other provider of health care services, the information given will include whether the patient has Advance Directives or does not have Advance Directives. 6.Our Agency will provide services whether or not the patient has executed Advance Directives. 7.Our home health agency’s will be in compliance with: In the event of conflict between the Agency’s Policy & Procedures and the patient’s Advanced Directives, provisions will be made in accordance with Chapter 765, Florida Statutes. (a) Providing each adult patient, in advance of receiving services, with a copy of “Health Care Advance Directives – The Patients’ Right to Decide”, as prepared by the Agency for Health Care Administration, revised April 2006, and available at http://www.floridahealthfinder.gov/reports- guides/reports-guides.aspx, which is hereby incorporated by reference (http://www.flrules.org/Gateway/reference.asp?No=Ref-03070) , or with a copy of a document drafted by a person or organization other than AHCA which is a written description of Florida’s state law regarding advance directives. 8. If an advanced directive has been executed, a copy of that document shall be made a part of patient’s medical record. If our Agency does receive a copy of the advanced directive for a patient, our Agency will document that it has requested a copy in the patient’s record. Home Health Agency Policies A-59