La. Admin. Code tit. 48 § I-7281

Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 11, November 20, 2024

Section I-7281 - Operational Requirements

A. Staff Requirements

1. When clients are present, the facility shall provide 24-hour, 7 day per week supervision and the care and services sufficient to meet the needs of the clients. Staffing shall consist of at least three direct care staff persons during the day, one of which shall be a licensed nurse and at least two awake staff during the night.

a. Requirements for the level of supervision provided and the specified time frame for day hours shall be defined by facility policy and approved by the facility governing body with documented annual review.

2. The facility shall have a licensed nurse on call when there are no licensed nurses on duty at the facility.

B. Admissions. The facility shall:

1. only accept clients referred by LDH state forensic facilities or those who are under a court-ordered forensic conditional release;

2. admit only those clients who have the ability to self-administer medications and provide for their own personal care needs;

3. admit male and female clients to reside in separate segregated and designated units of the licensed facility;

4. not admit more clients into care than the number specified on the facilitys license; and

5. provide contact information, including the telephone number and mailing address, for the appropriate state protection and advocacy organization.

NOTE: the facility shall request from the HSS an increase in licensed bed capacity prior to accepting more clients than specified on the facilitys license.

C. Assistance with Medication Self-Administration

1. The facility shall have clear written policies and procedures on medication self-administration.

2. The facility shall assist clients in the self-administration of prescriptions and non-prescription medication according to the clients service plan and as allowed by state laws and regulations. For assistance with self-administration, such clients shall have documented awareness of the medications to be taken.

3. Assistance with self-administration of medication shall be limited to the following:

a. the client may be reminded to take his/her medication;

b. the medication regimen, as indicated on the container, may be read to the client;

c. the dosage may be checked according to the container label;

d. staff may open the medicine container (i.e. bottle, mediset, blister pack, etc.) if the client lacks the ability to open the container; and

e. the client may be physically assisted in pouring or otherwise taking medications, so long as the client is cognitive of what the medication is, what it is for, and the need for the medication.

4. An unlicensed employee that provides assistance with the self-administration of medications to a client shall have documented training on the policies and procedures for medication assistance including the limitations of this assistance. Documentation shall include the signature of the employee. This training shall be repeated at least annually.

a. A competency evaluation shall be developed and conducted to ensure that each direct care staff person that assists a client with the self-administration of medications is able to demonstrate competency in the training areas pursuant to §7281. C 1-4.

b. Documentation of such competency evaluation of each direct care staff person shall be maintained and readily available in the agencys records.

NOTE: Such training does not permit the unlicensed employee to perform medication administration which is separate and apart from the performance of assistance of a client with the self-administration of medications.

5. Medications shall be stored in a secure central location and not stored in the clients own room.

6. The facility may require the clients to come to a designated medication area to take their medications.

La. Admin. Code tit. 48, § I-7281

Promulgated by the Department of Health and Hospitals, Bureau of Health Services Financing, LR 37:1172 (April 2011), Promulgated by the Department of Health, Bureau of Health Services Financing, LR 4372 (1/1/2017).

AUTHORITY NOTE: Promulgated in accordance with R.S. 28:31-28:37.