Care plans must reflect who the resident is today — not who they were in the last quarter (or in 2023, for that matter). January is an excellent time to review care plans for accuracy, relevance, and alignment with actual care practices. Care plan accuracy is key to compliance success, which is why it’s Day 5 in the CMSCG 12 Days of Compliance series.
Focus on:
- Ensuring assessments and care plans match current resident status
- Reviewing interventions for clarity and feasibility – think outside the EMR care plan library
- Strengthening IDT communication to prevent outdated information – make the care plan meeting meaningful for all participants
- Verifying that staff understand and follow care plan interventions
Surveyors consistently compare documentation to staff interviews and observed care. When care plans are outdated or unclear, citations follow. Updating care plans is much more than changing the review date on goals (which are often outdated, inapplicable or generic btw). We get it. It takes time and effort to develop a “good” care plan. What takes even more time is the auditing, reviewing and updating required with a plan of correction after you’ve been cited on survey. Proactive or reactive? We know our pick.
New Year Compliance Check:
Do your care plans match what your staff actually do?
CMS Compliance Group can assist with care plan audits and IDT workflow improvements to strengthen compliance.
