Q:
I’m a new DON at a skilled nursing facility and the team meeting procedures don’t appear to help the facility manage the resident or team’s needs. What items should I be sure we cover to make these meetings both efficient and effective for the team?I
A:
Ensuring clinical meetings are both effective and efficient will take planning, but it can happen. Some critical areas that should be addressed include:
- STAFFING: Include nursing staff as well as ancillary departments
- INCIDENT REPORTS: Review for completion and Root Cause Analysis.
- GRIEVANCES: Check status and any necessary follow up.
- ORDER CHANGES: Ensure changes made and care plans updated.
- LABS / XRAYS: Documentation of results and required notifications.
- PENDING DISCHARGES: Resident family education, scheduling of GG, discharge orders needed.
- PAYOR CHANGES AND FINANCIAL CONCERNS: Rehab status changes, documentation requirements.
Having a thorough and focused clinical meeting can and will assist you in effectively managing care needs, as well as regulatory and reimbursement requirements. Re-evaluate your meeting procedures often and, if something isn’t working for your facility and team, make adjustments. There is no set standard for how to run your team meetings – what works for your team and gets the job done is what needs to happen.
Judy Caffrey, RN
Clinical Consultant
Click here to learn more about the rest of the Proactive team.