24-Hour Availability, On-Call Service and Response to Requests for Care

Makes hospice services available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (s. 400.609, F.S.): direct communication with a member of the hospice care team at all hours; staffing to receive and respond to requests and provide interdisciplinary services around the clock; documentation of every communication and request with its disposition (Rule 59A-38.005(3), F.A.C.); medications, laboratory services and a hospice physician available at all hours; and the Agency’s own call-back and visit standards, which Florida does not set.

Preview: full text with a package

About this policy

Policy number: FL-HSP-SVC-01
Version: 1.0
Main rule: Rule 59A-38.005(3), F.A.C.
Library: Florida hospice · 60 policies
Category: Service delivery
Sections: 18

In short

Patients and families can reach us 24 hours a day at (813) 555-0199.
Call back within 15 minutes. For symptoms you cannot relieve by phone, visit as soon as safely possible (target 90 minutes).
Call the attending physician first, then the on-call hospice physician if you cannot reach them in time.
Write down every call: time, reason, advice, who you called, visit time and outcome.
Give the day team a report on every patient you spoke with at the start of the next business day.

What's inside

18 sections. The full text comes with the One-time Policy Pack.

Full text with a package

Terms of Reference
1. Purpose
2. Scope
3. Definitions
4. Policy Statement (s. 400.609, F.S.; Rule 59A-38.005(3), F.A.C.)
5. The On-Call System
6. Response Standards
7. Taking and Recording a Call
8. Medicines, Supplies and Laboratory Services at All Hours
9. Continuity of Services
10. Testing the 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

If I call your after-hours number now, who answers, and how fast will a nurse call back?
Show me the log of after-hours calls and what happened with each one.

Florida hospice

Get it for your agency

All 60 Florida hospice policies, filled in with your details, in Word and PDF.

$1,100one-time · Policy Pack, required

The files are yours to keep. Includes 90 days in the portal with Premium; keep it after that for $109 a month or $1,090 a year.

Buy the Policy Pack See pricing

Rules it follows

Rule 59A-38.005(3), F.A.C.s. 400.609, F.S.Rule 59A-38.004(3)(a)8., (3)(b), F.A.C.Rule 59A-38.008(2)(b)6., (4)(a), F.A.C.Rule 59A-38.009(3), F.A.C.42 CFR §418.100(c)(2)42 CFR §418.10642 CFR §418.64(a)(3)

Forms included

FL-HSP-SVC-01-A After-Hours Call and Request Log

Read a sample in full

Guides on this topic

See Cura Core with your agency's name on it.

Choose your state and type of agency, buy your Policy Pack online and get your sign-in by email. Already a customer? Sign in to your portal.

Get started Sign in