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Feds look to change hospital visitation policies
Under a new directive from the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services hospital visitation policies will change to allow patients to decide who sees them and who doesn't.
The policy takes affect in two months, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.
It impacts all hospitals that receive Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement, of which Mercy Health Center in Fort Scott is one, officials said.
Christina Rockhold, regional marketing & communication specialist media relations-Mercy Central Communities, said Mercy Health Center in Fort Scott does not anticipate any changes to its policy at this time because it tracks the federal regulation.
"Mercy Health Center in Fort Scott Mercy Health Center adheres to the Joint Commission Accreditation of Hospital Organization (JCAHO) Standard R1.01.01.01.28 and R1.01.01.01.29 regarding patients' rights," according to a statement from the hospital.
The standard states "the hospital allows a family member, friend, or other individual to be present with the patient for emotional support during the course of stay. The hospital allows for the presence of a support individual of the patient's choice, unless the individual's presence infringes on others' rights, safety, or is medically or therapeutically contraindicated.
"The individual may or may not be the patient's surrogate decision-maker or legally authorized representative. The hospital prohibits discrimination based on age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture, language, physical or mental disability, socioeconomic status, sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity or expression," the statement said.
President Obama in April requested HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius develop proposed standards for Medicare- and Medicaid-participating hospitals -- including critical access hospitals -- that would require them to preserve the rights of all patients to choose who may visit them when they are inpatients of a facility, a news release said.
Luis Rosero, deputy assistant secretary in the Office of Public Affairs at HHS in Washington, D.C., said the policy covers all types of relationships.
Officials said the change was prompted after Obama heard stories from people whose partners had died and they were not allowed to be by their side as a result of hospital policies.
The rules require every hospital to have written policies and procedures detailing patients' visitation rights, as well as instances when the hospital may restrict patient access to visitors based on reasonable clinical needs, a news release said.
A key provision specifies that visitors chosen by the patient, or his or her representative, must be able to enjoy visitation privileges that are no more restrictive than those for immediate family members.
Specifically, the proposed rules would add new requirements for hospitals and critical access hospitals to explain to all patients their right to choose who may visit them during their inpatient stay, regardless of whether the visitor is a family member, a spouse, or a domestic partner (including a same-sex domestic partner), as well as the right to withdraw such consent at any time, the release said. "Every patient deserves the basic right to designate whom they wish to see while in the hospital," Sebelius said in the release.
"(The) proposed rules would ensure that all patients have equal access to the visitors of their choosing -- whether or not those visitors are, or are perceived to be, members of a patient's family," she added.
For more information, visit CMS' website at http://www.cms.gov/CFCsAndCoPs/06_Hospitals.asp, or http://www.cms.gov/CFCsAndCoPs/03_CAHs.asp.