What is a certified nursing facility? How does certification differ from licensure? Briefly describe the main types of certifications.
A certified nursing facility is a nursing institution that is legally allowed to offer services to eligible Medicare and Medicaid patients based on preset standards mainly regarding personnel and physical capacity. A licensure grants permission for an institution to engage in certain practices and prohibits other organizations (Smolenski and Gagan, 2005). Nursing certification may involve a CNA (certified nursing assistant), LPN (licensed practice nurse), RN (registered nurse) and APRA (advanced practice registered nurse).
In general terms, what restrictions apply to the use and disclosure of the patient’s protected healthcare information (PHI)? In general terms, what penalties apply for violating the privacy rule?
The restriction on the use of protected health care information is such that vital information can flow within the health care facilities and relevant authorities for the benefit of the individual and the public without violating the privacy of the patient(s) (“Summary of the HIPAA Rule,” 2016). If a medical practitioner violates the privacy rules, he or she may face various sanctions such as deregistration, civil money penalties, and other criminal sanctions.
What is a Plan of Correction? What five elements must an acceptable Plan of Correction address?
A plan or correction is a statement highlighting the ways and means of correcting the adverse effects emerging from non-compliance or deficiency that occur in the process of offering services. An acceptable plan of action must have
Means and methods of correction
Plan to identify other potential victims
Ways of correcting the deficiency
Proper evaluation mechanism
Dates of beginning and completion (Minnesota Department of Health, 2004)
What are the main reasons behind nursing home regulations and their enforcement?
The regulations seek to protect the patients from neglect and abuse. They also seek to ensure that the privacy of the clients (Walshe, 2001). Besides, the government has the responsibility to offer standard services to the citizens, and as a result, there is a need to regulate how the nursing homes operate.
Describe the patient-related constraints that compromise autonomy and privacy, and make some level of dependency unavoidable.
Patients with mental illnesses and children do not have absolute autonomy due their conditions. A similar case occurs with patients in a comma. As a result, it necessitates dependency on relatives and other government authority.
References
Minnesota Department of Health. (2004). Developing Written Acceptable Plans Of Correction for SNF/NFs. Retrieved on January 16, 2016 from http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/fpc/profinfo/ib04_18.html
Smolenski C. M. and Gagan J. M. (2005). Credentialing, Certification, and Competence: Issues for New and Seasoned Nurse Practitioners. Journal of the American academy of nurse practitioners VOLUME 17, ISSUE 6, JUNE 2005. Retrieved from http://www.nursecredentialing.org/Documents/Certification/Articles/CredentialingCertifi cationandCompetence.pdf
Summary of the HIPAA Rule. (2016). Retrieved on January 16, 2016 from http://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/privacy/laws-regulations/
Walshe K. (2001). Regulating U.S. Nursing Homes: Are We Learning From Experience? November 2001 vol. 20 no. 6 128-144. Retrieved on January 16, 2016 from http://content.healthaffairs.org/content/20/6/128.full
