I was wondering if anyone would be able to share with me the timeframes you use at your hospitals and with sex offender populations for treatment plan reviews.
......Many hospitals use a graduated approach that initially has treatment plans ocurring with in a few hours or days with review/updating weekly, but then increases the period to monthly as the patient stay increases. In extremely long-stay populations I have seen the review period as long as 6 months, but I would not encourage this. Surveyors typically look for what makes clinical/common sense. If the timeframe for reviews is longer than the average length of stay, expect a challenge. ......With forensic and sex offender type populations where discharge may be beyond facility control it can be hard for staff to constructively review plans on patients when the primary treatment issues have been resolved but the patient is not able to leave. This calls for some creativity and a shift of focus to skill development. ......For your questions about the sex offender population, I would encourage you to check the member directory for hospitals that have the 'Sx' designation in their descriptor indicating they serve this population. Contact their representatives directly with your question.
We have a sexual responsibility program within one of our service lines. The processes/requirements for this group is the same as for all other patients in the hospital. We follow the Joint Commission and CMS standards for the timeframes for treatment plan reviews.
Hope this helps.
Gayle Edgerly, M.A., CPHQ Quality Management Director Logansport State Hospital
