SECTION 558.281. Client Care Policies

An agency must adopt and enforce a written policy that specifies the agency's client care practices. The written policy must include the following elements if covered under the scope of services provided by the agency:

(1) initial assessment, reassessment;

(2) start of care, placing services on hold, transfer, and discharge;

(3) intravenous services;

(4) care of the pediatric client;

(5) triaging clients in the event of disaster;

(6) how to handle emergencies in the home;

(7) safety of staff;

(8) procedures the staff will perform for clients, such as dressing changes, Foley catheter changes, wound irrigation, administration of medication;

(9) psychiatric nursing procedures;

(10) patient and caregiver teaching relating to disease process/procedures;

(11) care planning;

(12) care of a client who has a terminal illness or a terminal prognosis;

(13) receiving physician orders;

(14) performing waived testing;

(15) medication monitoring; and

(16) anything else pertaining to client care.

Source Note: The provisions of this §558.281 adopted to be effective February 1, 2002, 26 TexReg 9159; amended to be effective June 1, 2006, 31 TexReg 1455; amended to be effective October 1, 2013, 38 TexReg 6645; transferred effective May 1, 2019, as published in the April 12, 2019, issue of the Texas Register, 44 TexReg 1893; amended to be effective April 25, 2021, 46 TexReg 2427