A nursing home must develop and implement policies to guide staff decisions to consult physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners, and if known, notify the resident's legal representative or an interested family member of a resident's acute illness, serious accident, or death. At a minimum, the director of nursing services, and the medical director or an attending physician must be involved in the development of these policies. The policies must have criteria which address at least the appropriate notification times for:
an accident involving the resident which results in injury and has the potential for requiring physician intervention;
a significant change in the resident's physical, mental, or psychosocial status, for example, a deterioration in health, mental, or psychosocial status in either life-threatening conditions or clinical complications;
a need to alter treatment significantly, for example, a need to discontinue an existing form of treatment due to adverse consequences, or to begin a new form of treatment;
20 SR 303
October 11, 2007
Official Publication of the State of Minnesota
Revisor of Statutes