Long-Term Care Survey Alert

Published on Wed Apr 07, 2004 PDF

Here's one physician note likely to fly with surveyors.

Ever worry physician documentation will fall short of surveyors' expectations for dementia residents receiving antipsychotic meds?
 
Indeed, facilities have to cross their regulatory T's and dot their I's when prescribing antipsychotic medication to residents for dementia-related behaviors. Here's an example of a physician notation that succinctly summarizes key points surveyors look for in such cases, according to Michael Maddens, MD, CMD, chief of the division of geriatric medicine for William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, MI:

"This patient is on resperidol to control paranoia that prevents personal care from being performed. When in the hospital, the patient repeatedly hit staff whom he believed were trying to harm him. This interfered with staff doing dressing changes and positional changes and increased the resident's risk for not healing pressure ulcers. Medication review revealed no meds likely to be contributing ... and the metabolic work-up proved unremarkable. Behavioral approaches have failed."