Long Term Care Facilities - Essay Example

The length of the period used in funding long-term care facilities is solely determined by various state agencies which of course work through state legislation.

• What is the single most important content characteristic of a care plan in a long-term care facility that is subject to federal regulations?

The single most important content of a Long Term Care plan is the proof of meeting all the requirements of a standard Long Term Care facility. It is necessary for ensuring that the safety and health of the patients are guaranteed.  

5- List common electronic software applications in long-term care

There are very many software applications that are used in Long Term Care across the country. They are crucial as they help in the integration of health records, ensuring full compliance with the required standards and improving residence care. The common ones include CareVoyant, PointClickCare, LTC, HealthMEDX Vision, GeroPro, AmeraCare, Aged Care, e-MAR, MySeniorCenter, Adaptive Care, MatrixCare, LTPAC Software Systems, Clinical Care Suite.

6- How is ICD coding relevant to the long-term care setting? Compare its impact in long-term care to acute care.

ICD is should be used in the Long Term Care because it can help in the selection of principal as well as secondary diagnoses. It is a requirement that such diagnoses should be followed in a Long Term Care. The code is necessary for Long Term Care because of its usefulness during the admission of a patient. Therefore, as compared to acute care, it is needed during Long Term Care as it can help in taking statistical data of all the patients, helping in reimbursement, and in the making of informed decisions regarding the quality of care rendered.

7- Why is there a greater focus on concurrent documentation monitoring in the long-term care setting as compared to evaluating documentation in the closed medical record?

Concurrent documentation monitoring is much better because while used in the identification of all the challenges or trends in the documentation process, it can allow for changes or corrections to be made.  Thus, it can encourage the inclusion of other parties like family members in the rehabilitation process as well as remove any documentation backlogs that might be experienced. This is good for ensuring that the quality of documentation is improved.

8- Case Study

1. I would recommend that a thorough evaluation should be done to ensure that the facility fully complies with all federal requirements.
2. In terms of education, I would recommend that the facility’s staff should be thoroughly provided with all the necessary education. At all times, they should be equipped with the skills required in operating a Long Term Care facility. This will help in ensuring that high-quality services are offered.
3. The records should be properly kept using the concurrent system. Apart from capturing all the necessary information, it will ensure that all the data are safely kept and can be easily accessible whenever needed.