Minnesota Rules on Telephone and Electronic Orders
Pursuant to Minnesota Administrative Rule 4658.0455 TELEPHONE AND ELECTRONIC ORDERS.
A. Orders received by telephone, facsimile machine, or other electronic means must be kept confidential according to Minnesota Statutes, sections 144.291 to 144.298, 144.651, and 144.652.
B. Orders received by telephone or other electronic means, not including facsimile machine, must be immediately recorded or placed in the resident’s record by the person authorized by the nursing home and must be countersigned by the ordering health care practitioner authorized to prescribe at the time of the next visit, or within 60 days, whichever is sooner.
C. Orders received by facsimile machine must have been signed by the ordering health practitioner authorized to prescribe and must be immediately recorded or a durable copy must be placed in the resident’s clinical record by the person authorized by the nursing home.
According to the Minnesota Department of Human Services, Physician Visits for NF and Boarding Care Recipients Under state rule, a certified NF or boarding care resident must be examined by a physician within five days prior to or 72 days after admission. After the admitting examination, the resident must be seen at least every 30 days for the first 90 days after admission and at least every 60 days thereafter.
When a recipient on a 60-day schedule of visits is transferred to a hospital and returns to the same NF, it is not necessary to begin a new 30-day schedule of visits for 90 days. The next required routine physician visit would occur 60 days after the recipient returns from the hospital.
At the discretion of the physician and in accordance with facility policy, required visits after the initial visit may alternate between personal visits by the physician and visits by a physician assistant, certified nurse practitioner, or clinical nurse specialist. The physician assistant, certified nurse practitioner or clinical nurse specialist must not be an employee of the NF. Refer to Physician and Professional Services for supervision requirements for physician extenders.
Residents who would otherwise be on a 60-day visit schedule, but refuse to see their physician this often, may waive this requirement. Under state law, physicians must see nursing home residents at least every six months and boarding care home residents at least once per year. Each refusal must be documented in the recipient’s medical record and signed by the resident and the physician.
Common areas of cases I see include: Falls from Beds, Hoyer Lifts and in the Bathroom; Sexual Abuse; Medication Errors and Others. STOP ELDER ABUSE AND NEGLECT!
For more information about nursing home telephone and electronic orders requirements or other questions about elder abuse and neglect contact Nursing Home Neglect Attorney Kenneth LaBore for a free consultation at 612-743-9048 or by email at KLaBore@MNnursinghomeneglect.com.