Current through Register Vol. 46, No. 39, September 25, 2024
The hospital shall make available rehabilitation services
consistent with the needs of the patients, which shall be designed to provide
individualized, goal-oriented, comprehensive and coordinated services to
minimize the effects of physical, mental, social and vocational disadvantages
and to effect a realization of the patient's potential for useful and
productive activity while ensuring the health and safety of the patient. Such
services include but are not limited to audiology, occupational therapy,
physical therapy and speech language pathology and shall be delivered in
accordance with a written plan for treatment. Hospitals providing general
rehabilitation services but not providing comprehensive inpatient physical
medicine and rehabilitation programs shall meet the provisions of subdivisions
(a) and (b) of this section. Hospitals which do provide comprehensive inpatient
physical medicine and rehabilitation programs shall meet the provisions of
subdivisions (a) and (c) of this section. Hospitals which provide a spinal cord
injury program shall meet the provisions of subdivisions (a), (c) and (d) of
this section. Hospitals which provide a traumatic head injury program shall
meet the provisions of subdivisions (a), (c) and (e) of this section.
(a)
Organization and staffing.
(1) There shall be a director of the service
who shall have administrative responsibility for the delivery of patient care
and for the supervision of the service. The director shall have the necessary
knowledge, experience and capabilities to properly supervise and administer the
service.
(2) Physical therapy,
occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, or audiology services, if
provided, shall be provided by staff who meet the qualifications specified by
the governing body, and who are licensed and currently registered by the New
York State Education Department.
(i) Each
individual who provides rehabilitation services shall be competent to provide
such services by reason of education, training, experience and demonstrated
performance.
(ii) A sufficient
number of qualified competent professional and support personnel shall be
available to meet the needs of the patient population and the objectives of the
service.
(iii) Sufficient space,
equipment and facilities shall be available to support the clinical and
administrative functions of the service.
(3) Written policies and procedures which
describe the mechanism for the management of the rehabilitation service as well
as interdepartmental relationships and communications shall be
implemented.
(4) Staff orientation
and inservice training shall be required, provided and documented in accordance
with hospital policies and procedures.
(b)
Delivery of services.
(1) The hospital shall assure that patients
who require rehabilitation services are identified and that appropriate
services are provided in accordance with the orders of attending physicians or
other practitioners as authorized by the governing body, consistent with the
New York State Education Law, to order such services. Working relationships
among medical staff, nursing staff and rehabilitation service staff shall be
established to ensure the identification of patients and delivery of
appropriate services.
(2)
Rehabilitation services shall be ordered by the attending physician or
authorized practitioners and provided in accordance with a written
multidisciplinary treatment plan which is based upon a functional assessment
and evaluation performed and documented by a professional who is qualified
under the provisions of the New York State Education Law, and shall include the
diagnosis or diagnoses, precautions and contraindications, and goals of the
prescribed therapy.
(i) The multidisciplinary
treatment plan shall identify patient needs, establish realistic and measurable
goals and identify specific therapeutic interventions by type, amount and
frequency needed to maintain, restore and/or promote the patient's functioning
and health, within stated time frames for achievement.
(ii) The multidisciplinary treatment plan
shall be prepared by rehabilitation service staff with the involvement of the
practitioner who ordered the services, the nursing staff, as well as the
patient and the family to the extent possible.
(iii) The patient's progress and response to
treatment shall be assessed on a timely and regular basis, in accordance with
hospital policies and procedures, and documented in the patient's medical
record.
(iv) Multidisciplinary
treatment plans and goals shall be revised as appropriate in accordance with
the assessment of the patient's progress and the results of
treatment.
(v) The rehabilitation
service shall monitor and evaluate the quality and appropriateness of patient
care and resolve identified problems through implementation of a planned and
systematic process. The process shall involve reporting to the quality
assurance committee in accordance with hospital policies and
procedures.
(vi) In accordance with
the provisions of section
405.9(h) of this
Part, rehabilitation therapy staff shall work with the attending practitioner,
the nursing staff, other health care providers and agencies as well as the
patient and the family, to the extent possible, to assure that all appropriate
discharge planning arrangements have been made prior to discharge to meet the
patient's identified needs.
(c) Comprehensive inpatient physical medicine
and rehabilitation programs, if provided, shall be approved by the department
and shall be organized and operated in accordance with the following:
(1) the beds shall be in a designated area
forming a distinct organizational unit, shall be staffed and equipped for the
specific purpose of providing a comprehensive physical medicine and
rehabilitation program, and shall be used exclusively for such
purpose;
(2) patients exhibiting
conditions, including but not limited to the following, shall be considered as
candidates for admission to a comprehensive inpatient physical medicine and
rehabilitation program: severe disabling impairments of recent onset or recent
progression, those being readmitted for such conditions, or those with such
conditions who previously have not received comprehensive rehabilitation
services;
(3) the program shall be
directed by a chief of physical medicine and rehabilitation who shall be
full-time with the physical medicine and rehabilitation program. The chief of
physical medicine and rehabilitation shall be a board certified physiatrist or
a physician who by training and experience is knowledgeable in physical and
rehabilitative medicine;
(4) the
attending physician for a patient admitted to the program shall be a
rehabilitation physician, a physician who is board certified in physical
medicine and rehabilitation or a physician who by training and experience is
knowledgeable in physical medicine and rehabilitation;
(5) nursing care shall be provided under the
direction of a registered professional nurse who has appropriate training and
experience in rehabilitation nursing as determined by the program and the
hospital;
(6) the program shall
provide a core of services which includes: rehabilitation nursing, physical
therapy, occupational therapy, medical social work, psychology and
speech-language pathology;
(7)
dependent upon the needs of the patients served, the program shall provide or
make formal arrangements for the following services: dental, vocational
rehabilitation, education, orthotics, prosthetics, respiratory therapy,
rehabilitation engineering, driver education, audiology and therapeutic
recreation;
(8) physician
consultation shall be available, including but not limited to: general surgery,
internal medicine, neurology, neurosurgery, opthalmology, orthopedic surgery,
otorhinolaryngology, pediatrics, physicial medicine and rehabilitation, plastic
surgery, psychiatry, pulmonary medicine and urology;
(9) patient care services shall be provided
through a coordinated interdisciplinary team approach. Participation of members
of the core team in the direct care of each patient will vary dependent upon
individual patient needs. Patients shall receive a comprehensive evaluation
within seven days following admission followed by regular team conferences at
intervals appropriate to the treatment goals established for the patient. These
conferences shall result in documentation of decisions on rehabilitation goals
that meet professional standards of care, identification of services needed for
the patients to progress toward those goals, and evaluation of progress toward
meeting established goals;
(10)
each program shall develop and implement written policies and procedures for
the following: patient admission and orientation, assessment and evaluation,
program management, discharge planning and follow-up;
(11) the program shall establish formalized
relationships with other area hospitals and providers of comprehensive
rehabilitation services, regardless of setting, which shall include provisions
for consultation, inservice education, and the evaluation of common treatment
protocols;
(12) programs shall have
written agreements in place for the transfer of patients who need medical or
specialty care not available at the hospital of admission. Transfer agreements
shall be mutually agreed upon by both the transferring and receiving facility
and shall be reviewed on at least an annual basis;
(13) there shall be an organized outpatient
physical medicine and rehabilitation program at the hospital which shall
provide a range of services equal in scope to that of the inpatient program
including spinal cord and head injury programs where they are provided;
and
(14) there shall be an
organized program for follow-up care to maintain or improve patient health
status and functioning following discharge.
(d) A spinal cord injury program, if
provided, shall provide coordinated and integrated services for spinal cord
injured persons, whether from trauma or disease, enabling those patients served
to achieve optimal functioning;
(1) The
spinal cord injury program shall be a designated unit for spinal cord injured
people with a designated staff to serve the spinal cord injured
patients.
(2) The spinal cord
injury program shall be directed by a physician with special interest and
competence in the care of those with spinal cord injury.
(3) Nursing services for the spinal cord
injury program shall be provided under the direction of a registered
professional nurse who has appropriate training and experience in the provision
of rehabilitation nursing for spinal cord injured patients as determined by the
program and the hospital.
(4) The
following shall be available seven days a week, 24 hours per day: registered
professional nurses, trained personnel capable of provided intermittent
catheterization, as required, and respiratory therapy services.
(5) There shall be a formally organized
program for patient and family spinal cord injury education regarding bladder
management, bowel management, pulmonary care, skin care, instruction in
medications, nutrition, access to follow-up medical care, care of equipment,
and sexual counseling.
(e) A traumatic head injury program, if
provided, shall be designed specifically to serve medically stable,
traumatically brain injured individuals. The program shall provide
goal-oriented, comprehensive, interdisciplinary and coordinated services
directed at restoring the individual to the optimal level of physical,
emotional, cognitive and behavioral functioning.
(1) General requirements.
The hospital shall ensure:
(i) the development and consistent
application of written admission and continued stay criteria for this service
which include but are not limited to the use of a generally recognized
classification system for measuring each individual's physical, behavioral and
cognitive level of functioning and the family's capabilities and functioning,
and are consistent with the following requirements:
(a) a patient admitted for active
rehabilitation shall be a person who has suffered a traumatic brain injury with
structural nondegenerative brain damage, is medically stable, is not in a
persistent vegetative state, demonstrates potential for physical, behavioral
and cognitive rehabilitation and may evidence moderate to severe behavior
abnormalities. The patient must be capable of exhibiting at least localized
responses by reacting specifically but inconsistently to stimuli;
(b) a patient admitted for active coma
stimulation shall be a person who has suffered a traumatic brain injury with
structural nondegenerative brain damage and is in a coma. The patient may be
completely unresponsive to any stimuli or may exhibit a generalized response by
reacting inconsistently and nonpurposefully to stimuli in a nonspecific manner;
and
(c) a patient who has diffuse
brain damage caused by anoxia, toxic poisoning, cerebral vascular accident, or
encephalitis may be considered appropriate for admission to this program either
for active coma stimulation or active rehabilitation;
(ii) records shall be maintained for at least
two years identifying persons who were determined by the facility to be
ineligible for admission under the head injury program. The records shall
indicate the reason for ineligibility and any referral action taken;
(iii) inservice and continuing education
programs which address the medical, physical, cognitive, psychosocial and
behavioral needs of head injured patients shall be conducted on a regular basis
for all personnel caring for such patients;
(iv) educational programs shall be conducted
for personnel not providing direct care but who come in contact on a regular
basis with head injured patients. The programs should familiarize personnel
with the specific needs of these patients; and
(v) education and counseling services shall
be available and offered to the patient and families as needed.
(2) Program management and
staffing.
There shall be distinct staffing for the direct care
services in the head injury program unit.
(i) The program shall be administered by a
program director who has at least two years of clinical or administrative
experience in head injury rehabilitation programs. The program director shall
have specific responsibilities which include, but are not limited to:
(a) administrative direction and oversight of
the program;
(b) ongoing review of
the program and implementation of program changes as identified; and
(c) development and implementation of
educational programs on an ongoing basis for staff working with head injured
patients.
(ii) A
physician who has advanced training and experience in the care of the head
injured shall be responsible for the medical direction and medical oversight of
the head injury program and may serve as the program director.
(iii) A qualified specialist in physical
medicine and rehabilitation or a physician who has training and experience in
the care and rehabilitation of head injured patients shall be responsible for
the care of each patient.
(iv) A
primary interdisciplinary team of health care professionals with special
interest, training, experience and expertise in head injury rehabilitation
shall be responsible for the assessment, coordinated program and care planning,
and direct services for each head injured patient. The interdisciplinary team
members shall be specifically assigned to serve head injured patients and the
team shall include as a minimum the following types of health care
professionals:
(a) physician;
(b) registered professional nurse;
(c) physical therapist;
(d) occupational therapist;
(e) speech-language pathologist;
(f) social worker;
(g) dietitian;
(h) therapeutic recreation specialist;
and
(i) clinical psychologist with
training and experience in neuropsychology.
(v) Nursing services for the head injury unit
shall be provided under the direction of a registered professional nurse who is
certified or eligible for certification in rehabilitation nursing or who has
demonstrated appropriate clinical competency, training and experience in the
provision of rehabilitation nursing for head injured patients as determined by
the program and the hospital.
(vi)
There shall be at least one registered professional nurse with experience in
rehabilitation nursing assigned to each shift on the head injury
unit.
(vii) Depending upon types of
patients being served and individual patient's need, the program shall provide
or make formal arrangements for vocational rehabilitation services and special
education services.
(3)
Interdisciplinary care planning.
(i) A member
of the interdisciplinary team managing the patient shall be designated to:
(a) coordinate the overall plan of care and
services and identify unmet needs for each patient including discharge and
follow-up plans;
(b) serve as a
liaison among patient, family and staff to ensure that patient and family
concerns are addressed; and
(c)
serve as a liaison with the educational, social and vocational resources in the
community which are serving the patient.
(ii) A written, comprehensive care plan shall
be developed and implemented which establishes rehabilitation goals for each
patient. The plan shall be developed on admission by the interdisciplinary team
and the attending physician in consultation with the patient, the patient's
family and outside agencies, as necessary. The care plan shall be reviewed at
least every 14 days and modified according to the patient's needs by the
interdisciplinary team. The comprehensive care plan is based upon initial and
ongoing integrated, interdisciplinary assessments which shall address as a
minimum, medical, dental and neurological status, nutritional status,
sensorimotor capacity, the developmental needs of children and adolescents,
cognitive, perceptual and communicative capacity, affect and mood, activities
of daily living skills, educational or vocational capacities, sexuality issues
and concerns, family unity counseling and community reintegration needs and
recreation and leisure time interests.
(iii) Findings from the comprehensive care
plan reviews shall be integrated into the utilization review program of the
facility.
(iv) A written discharge
plan shall be developed for each patient as part of the overall care plan and
shall include input from all professionals caring for the patient, the
patient's family, the patient if capable and, as appropriate, any outside
agency or resource that will be involved with the patient following
discharge.
(v) The family and
patient shall receive preparation for discharge through the facility's
educational and counseling services.
(vi) There shall be effective provision for
follow-up care and post discharge care which shall include as a minimum, formal
linkages to other sources of care and services for head- or brain-injured
patients including outpatient services, residential health care facility-based
services, home care service agency services and vocational education and
rehabilitation services.
(4) Utilization review monitoring.
The facility shall participate with the commissioner or
his designee in a program of patient care and services monitoring which shall
include, but not be limited to: review of admissions, care and services
provided, continued stays, and discharge planning. The facility shall furnish
such records and reports at such frequency as the commissioner or his designee
may require and shall make available members of the interdisciplinary patient
care team for case conferences as the commissioner or his designee deems
necessary.