It’s Still A Problem, Right? Fixing The Policy And Procedure Manuals That Get You Every Time!
Kenyon HomeCare Consulting • March 3, 2021
The surveyor walks through the door. What is one of the first thing he or she asks to see? That’s right. It’s the policy and procedure manual. When’s the last time yours was updated? Do you utilize it frequently in running your business? Or, is it something you purchased and never touched. Either way, it gets you in trouble at survey time over and over. So, isn’t it time to make it work for you and not against you?
Things To Consider With Your Manual:
Here are the list of essential things to consider when you look objectively at your manual:
State And Federal Regulations: Who in your organization keeps abreast of regulatory changes? When was the last time your manual was truly reviewed from beginning to end?
Who Is Responsible to Update The Manual? Who in your organization is assigned to update your master manual when things change? Is there someone routinely doing it?
Does Your Manual Guide Your Operations? If yes, then you probably have a manual that is more up-to-date than most.
Does You Manual Actually Put You At Risk? Consider employees and whether the personnel decisions you make consistently follow policy. In many cases, it does not. This can be a huge problem especially if branch locations handle the same personnel decisions differently.
Did You Purchase Your Manual? Online manuals are fantastic because they contain up-to-date federal regulations. Depending upon your state, some companies offer state specific rules as well. Many agencies forget to add the state regs into their online manual. However, the biggest mistake agencies make is when they do not customize these manuals to fit their operations. For example, the online manual you purchased may have a great emergency preparedness plan, but you didn’t do a hazard risk assessment or make the interventions specific to what your agency does. Make sure you purchase accreditation ready manuals if this is the route you are going.
Helping You On The Federal And State Level:
At Kenyon Homecare Consulting, we have online manuals available for purchase for all lines of in-home services. We also offer state crossovers for several states. If you are looking for help to add state rules into your manual, our senior level consultants can help you do so. Whether you are starting a new agency or are an existing one, we can help get your manual up-to-date and survey ready. Make it the tool it was meant to be. Call us at 206-721-5091 or contact us online to see how we can help you.this default text and start typing your own or paste your own from a different source.
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