COMPELETE SOLUTION!!
Access to Care ANSWER : Inmates have access to care to meet their serious medical, dental, and mental health needs.
Unreasonable barriers are to be avoided:
1. punishing inmates for seeking care.
2. assessing excessive co-payments that deter inmates
3. deterring inmates by holding sick call at 2 a.m., etc.
Estelle v. Gamble (1976) ANSWER : -Deliberate indifference to serious medical needs of prisoners constitutes the unnecessary and wanton infliction of pain, thus violating the 8th Amendment.
-Prison officials have a duty to provide proper inmate medical care
CLIA ANSWER : Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988. -This law requires any facility performing examinations of human specimens (e.g., tissue, blood,
urine, etc.) for diagnosis, prevention, or treatment purposes to be certified by the Secretary of the
Department of Health and Human Services.
Responsible Health Authority ANSWER : -The RHA arranges all levels of health care and assures quality, accessible, and timely health services.
-The RHA is on site at least weekly.
-The RHA may be a physician, health administrator, or agency.
-Clinical judgments rest with a single, designated, licensed, responsible physician
Medical Autonomy ANSWER : Clinical decisions and actions regarding health care provided to inmates to meet their serious medical needs are the sole responsibility of qualified health care professionals.
Administrative Meetings and Reports ANSWER : 1. Administrative meetings are attended by the facility administrator and the RHA, and other members of the health and correctional staffs.
2. Administrative meetings are held quarterly
3. Health staff meetings occur at least monthly
4. Statistical reports are made at least monthly.
Topics of discussion are quality improvement findings, infection control efforts, inmate grievances, and environmental inspection reports
Policies and Procedures ANSWER : 1. Health care policies are site specific
2. Each policy and procedure in the health care manual is reviewed at least annually.
3. Other policies don't conflict with health care policies.
4. The manual is accessible to all health staff.
When changes to individual health services policies are made, they must be dated and signed individually by the RHA and responsible physician.
Continuous Quality Improvement Program ANSWER : 1. A CQI identifies problems, implements and mointors corrective action, and studies its effectiveness.
2. The responsible physician is involved in the CQI
3. Facilities with an average daily population of 500 or less have a basic CQI
4. Facilities with an average daily population of greater than 500 inmates have a comprehensive CQI
Privacy of Care ANSWER : 1. Clinical encounters and discussions occur in private, without being observed or overheard.
2. Security personnel are present only if the patient poses a probable risk to the safety of the health care professional or others.
3. Instruction on maintaining confidentiality is given to security staff and interpreters who observe or hear health encounters.
Health Records ANSWER : -Health records stored in the facility are maintained under secure conditions separate from correctional records.
-Access to health records and health information is controlled by the RHA.
-Evidence exists that health staff receive instruction in maintaining confidentiality.
-If records are transported by nonhealth staff, the records are sealed.
-Evidence exists that the health record is available and used.
-When an inmate is transferred to another correctional facility: a copy of the current health record or a comprehensive health summary accompanies the inmate
-The jurisdiction's legal requirements regarding records retention are followed.
-There is a system for the timely reactivation of records when requested by a treating health professional.
Procedure in the Event of an Inmate Death ANSWER : -All deaths are reviewed within 30 days
-A death review consists of an administrative review (correctional and emergency response surrounding the death); a clinical mortality review (the clinical care provided and the circumstances leading up to the death); and a psychological autopsy if by suicide (reconstruction of an individual's life with an emphasis on factors that contributed to the death)
-Treating staff are informed of the findings of the above reviews.
-Corrective actions are implemented and monitored through the facility's CQI program for systemic issues.
Grievance Mechanism for Health Complaints