Physician, APRN, and Physician Assistant Orders and Telephone Orders
Sets out who may give orders for the Agency’s patients, how plans of care and orders are approved and signed within 30 days of the start of care, how telephone orders are taken, read back, reduced to writing immediately, and signed within 14 days (never more than the 30 days the rule allows), and the order rules for DC Medicaid personal care aide services.
About this policy
- Policy number
- DC-HH-ORD-01
- Version
- 1.0
- Main rule
- 22-B DCMR §3914.4
- Library
- Washington, DC home health · 58 policies
- Category
- Clinical tasks
- Sections
- 21
In short
- Give care, treatments, and medications only as ordered by the physician or another practitioner DC Health allows.
- Only registered nurses, and therapists for their own discipline, may take a telephone order.
- Write the whole order down during the call, read it back, and get the practitioner to confirm it.
- Enter it in the plan of care and send it for signature the same business day. It must be signed within 14 days, and never later than 30 days.
- If an order seems unclear or unsafe, do not carry it out. Call the practitioner and tell the supervising nurse.
What's inside
21 sections. The full text comes with the One-time Policy Pack.
- Terms of Reference
- 1. Purpose
- 2. Scope
- 3. Definitions
- 4. Policy Statement (22-B DCMR §3914.2 to §3914.4)
- 5. Services That Need an Order
- 6. Who May Give Orders
- 7. The Signed Plan of Care
- 8. Taking a Telephone Order
- 9. Getting Telephone Orders Signed
- 10. Orders From More Than One Practitioner
- 11. As-Needed and Range Orders
- 12. Questioning an Order
- 13. DC Medicaid Personal Care Aide Orders (If Enrolled)
- 14. Responsibilities
- 15. Records and Compliance Monitoring
- 16. Staff Training
- 17. References
- 18. Related Policies and Forms
- 19. Approval
- 20. Revision History
An inspector may ask
- Show me the signed plan of care for this patient. Was it signed within 30 days of the start of care?
- This plan of care was revised by telephone order. Show me the written order and when the practitioner signed it.
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