Business Hours, 24-Hour Nursing Availability, and On-Call
Sets the Agency's business hours, when the Administrator and the director of nursing (or their alternates) must be available to the public, who answers the telephone and the door, and what happens when an AHCA surveyor arrives. It sets the on-call system required by Rule 59A-8.003(9)(d), F.A.C., so that active patients receiving skilled care can reach licensed professional nursing staff 24 hours a day and designated nursing staff can communicate directly with the patient, and it sets how on-call contacts are handled, recorded, and handed back to the case manager.
- Policy number
- FL-HH-CC-02
- Version
- 1.0
- Main rule
- Rule 59A-8.003(9), F.A.C.
- Library
- Florida home health · 57 policies
- Category
- Service delivery
- Sections
- 18
In short
- Patients can reach a nurse 24 hours a day, every day, at (813) 555-0199.
- On-call nurses return every call within 15 minutes and talk directly with the patient.
- In an emergency, tell the caller to hang up and call 911.
- Write down every on-call contact and hand it off to the case manager by the next business day.
- If a state surveyor arrives, call the Administrator or the director of nursing right away.
What's inside
18 sections. The full text comes with the One-time Policy Pack.
- Terms of Reference
- 1. Purpose
- 2. Scope
- 3. Definitions
- 4. Policy Statement (Rule 59A-8.003(9), F.A.C.)
- 5. Business Hours and Availability to the Public
- 6. When an AHCA Surveyor Arrives
- 7. The 24-Hour On-Call System
- 8. Handling an On-Call Contact
- 9. Telling Patients How to Reach the Agency
- 10. Monitoring the On-Call System
- 11. Responsibilities
- 12. Records and Compliance Monitoring
- 13. Staff Training
- 14. References
- 15. Related Policies and Forms
- 16. Approval
- 17. Revision History
An inspector may ask
- What are your business hours? Who was available to the public at 9:00 this morning?
- It is 2:00 in the morning and a patient calls with a problem. Walk me through exactly what happens.
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