Compilation of Rules and Regulations of the State of Georgia › Department 111 - RULES OF DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY HEALTH › Chapter 111-8 - HEALTHCARE FACILITY REGULATION › Subject 111-8-37 - RULE AND REGULATIONS FOR HOSPICES › Rule 111-8-37-.19 - Other Services

Current through Rules and Regulations filed through June 27, 2024
Hospices must make supportive services available to both the
				  patient and the patient's family unit, including, but not limited to,
				  bereavement services provided both prior to and after the patient's death, as
				  well as spiritual counseling and any other counseling services identified in
				  the interdisciplinary plan of care for the patient and the patient's family
				  unit.
(a)
Bereavement
				Services.
Hospices must have an organized program for the provision of
				bereavement services under the supervision of a licensed professional counselor
				or licensed social worker or other professional determined, in compliance with
				applicable laws, to be qualified by training and education to provide the
				required supportive services. Bereavement services must be a part of the
				interdisciplinary plan of care and shall address the needs of the patient and
				the patient's family unit, the services to be provided, and the frequency of
				services. Bereavement services, including educational and spiritual materials
				and individual and group support services, must be available to the terminally
				ill patient's family unit for a period of at least one year following the
				terminally ill patient's death. Hospices must maintain documentation of all
				bereavement services.
(b)
Spiritual Counseling.
Hospices must make available spiritual
				counseling and must notify patients and patients' family units as to the
				availability of clergy. In the delivery of spiritual counseling services,
				hospices must not impose any value or belief system on the patient or the
				patient's family unit.
(c)
Other Counseling.
Additional counseling for the patient or the
				patient's family unit may be provided by other qualified members of the hospice
				care team as well as by other qualified professionals in accordance with state
				practice acts. Such counseling includes, but is not limited to, access to a
				licensed clinical social worker or professional counselor for the provision of
				counseling to the patient or the patient's family unit or primary caregiver on
				a short-term basis to resolve assessed clear or direct impediments to the
				treatment of the patient's medical condition.
(d)
Physical Therapy, Occupational
				Therapy, and Speech Language Pathology Services.
Physical therapy
				services, occupational therapy services, and speech language pathology services
				must be available to the patient and, when provided, offered by qualified
				personnel, in accordance with state practice acts, in a manner consistent with
				accepted standards of practice.
(e)
Dietary and Nutritional Services.
Dietary and nutritional
				services, as required, must be available to all patients in all components of
				hospice care and provided or supervised by a licensed dietitian. Hospices must
				develop, document, and implement effective written policies and procedures for
				dietary and nutritional services.
O.C.G.A. §§
										31-7-170
et
				  seq.