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Facilitating NRS 629.091, a Provision of Home Care for Disabled People
Important Points about This Option...
· Gives flexibility by a reasonable relaxation of requirements within the nursing code. Rather than certification or licensing, a personal care attendant can perform simple nursing tasks with a simple authorizing note from a nurse. This flexibility for trained at unlicensed caregivers to perform simple nursing tasks, allows a more workable and cost effective, quality home care for disabled people. It is possible that without such home care, some people would be facing inappropriate institutionalization.
· As the option is crucial to prevent institutionalization of some people with disabilities, the service should be made readily available to the disability community.
The Required Nursing Authorization Signoff Service ...
· There is more liability associated with any other nursing task that a Renown nurse might do, than there is in the performance of this nurse signoff service. This is because this nurse signoff service is exempted by the law from liabilities that are ordinarily born in the performance of nursing duties. (It is not exempted from acts of gross negligence.)
· The nurse signoff service is already billable and payable by Medicaid.
· The law grants that the signing nurse merely make a "good-faith... determination of competency".
· In order to maximize its benefits and workability, the signoff process must be kept as simple as the law permits. Here are the steps successfully used in the past.
· 1. The nurse doing the in-service communicates with the recipient about the tasks that will be authorized. Written training materials are organized for the caregiver(s) and a time for the in-service is set up.
· 2. Caregiver studies the supplied materials and writes down any questions they might have about the tasks.
· 3. The caregiver and the recipient thoroughly review the information again, including demonstration when practical, in preparation for the nurse at-home in-service.
· 4. At the in-service, the nurse has the caregiver explain, (step-by-step), each of the tasks. The nurse interjects and instructs, filling in any gaps she might detect throughout the in-service.
· 5. Having a reasonable confidence that the caregiver is capable of the tasks, the nurse then signs the note or form to that effect.
Please send your questions and comments to Editor@Nevadadisabilities.org
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