Policies and Procedures

Section 280 Section 280.2030  Policies and Procedures a)         The hospice shall have written policies and procedures governing all services provided by the hospice, which shall be formulated with the involvement of the administrator and representatives of the governing body.  The policies shall be available to the staff, patients, patients' families and the public.  These written policies shall be followed in operating the hospice and shall be reviewed annually and revised as necessary.  These policies shall include a written statement: 1)         of philosophy, objectives and goals the hospice is striving to achieve; 2)         of the hospice services provided and the type of hospice license required; 3)         of the relationship of the hospice to the families of its patients; 4)         concerning admission, transfer, and discharge of patients; 5)         concerning community participation and input, if any; and 6)         concerning the planning, evaluation and quality assurance process. b) The hospice program shall clearly define its admission criteria.  Decisions on admission shall be made by a hospice care team and shall be dependent upon the expressed request and informed consent of the patient or the patient's legal guardian.  For purposes of the Act and this Part , "informed consent" means that a hospice program must demonstrate respect for an individual's rights by ensuring that an informed consent form that specifies the type of care and services that may be provided as hospice care during the course of the patient's illness has been obtained for every hospice patient, either from the patient or from the patient's representative. (Section 8(h) of the Act)