Standards & Governance

1. Clients regulate the standard of professional care, within the state regulated scope of the position.
   • Health Care providers will comply with the client standards and governance.
   • Enables facilities to make decisions that affect the nursing practice, empowering those working closest to the patient.
   • Clients instruct health care workers to improve patient care and the work environment
   • Client based directives create opportunity for collaboration on patient care, education and professional practice issues.
   • 24-7Nurses does not govern the assignment duties. Requirements for referral are based upon client and state requirements.
2. Clients must orient practitioners to facility and its Rules and Regulations, including the physical layout and equipment on any unit to which the practitioner is assigned.
   • Facility may orient practitioners at one-half rate of pay, for a max of four hours
3. Governance Policy & Documentation
   • Any individual, who is not considered satisfactory, does not comply, who would be dismissed for alleged incompetence, negligent behavior or who engages in misconduct detrimental to the best interest of the client shall be documented. Further,
   • Health care workers who do not comply with all applicable state and federal laws and client policies and procedures shall no longer be eligible for referral to clients.
   • Health care workers shall be counseled whenever a performance standard, clinical practice deficiency or infraction of client policy and procedure is identified. Counseling events shall be documented.

Profile

• Practitioner profile includes:
  • Pre-contract requirements (see above)
  • Any and all governance documentation
  • Orientation Verification per facility
  • Continued Screening Documentation
  • Credential status verified quarterly
  • Insurance verified monthly
  • Random drug/alcohol testing
  • Continued Education Documentation

Education

• State required continued education units
• Written verification of met state requirements
• Workshops
  • 24-7Nurses provided material, to enhance patient care skills and enhance medical knowledge base
  • Offered quarterly
  • Easy access to materials on-line

Ethics & Practices

1. Professional Insurance
   • Agency liability coverage: Up to $1,000,000 per claim, up to $6,000,000 aggregate
   • Nurse liability coverage: Up to $1,000,000 per claim, up to $6,000,000 aggregate
2. Office hours 9-4 M-F with on-call supervisor 24-7Nurses
3. Scheduling 24-7Nurses
4. District Business Agent
   • For each satellite office
5. Maintain Quality Assurance Policies
6. Centralized Scheduling
   • Scheduling available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
   • Toll free number
7. "Best Match"
   • Nurse profile experience matched with Client needs / requests
   • LProfile information available to Client upon request
8. We consistently strive to provide only quality services to our clients in accordance with the highest ethical standards obtainable.
9. Each future health care worker, upon application, will be personally interviewed and thoroughly screened.
10. Each applicant accepted will have a minimum of one year's recent experience in addition to education and/or training.
11. License identification cards of each Registered Nurse, Licensed Practical/Vocational Nurse, Nursing Assistant will be seen at the time of application and at renewal date thereafter.
12. Licenses will then be verified with the State Board of Nursing.
13. An orientation will be held for all new independent contractors, including but not limited to:
    • Job descriptions for each category.
    • What our independent contractors may expect from 24-7Nurses.
    • What 24-7Nurses expects of health care workers.
    • Policies and procedures.
    • Brief orientation on facilities we serve.
    • We will maintain a current copy of the State's Nurse Practice Act in the office and adhere to its requirements and standards of conduct.
14. We shall offer optional education for all independent contractors to maintain and keep skills current at their own cost.
15. We will not discriminate based on race, creed, color, national origin, sex, age or physical handicap.
16. Home Health Care:
    • Our Health Care Coordinator will provide a care plan for each in-home client incorporating the physician's plan of treatment.
    • We will provide the services of Registered Nurse supervision for our in-home independent contractors and clients.
    • Each in-home client will be visited and the care evaluated on a regular basis by a Registered Nurse.
    • Our Health Care Coordinator will assist in planning and securing services to meet total patient care needs in cooperation with community resources and agencies.
    • We will handle all client medical and financial information so as to prevent unauthorized disclosure.
    • We will become involved with local health systems agencies to help/implement/improve standards of patient care and increase efforts to control health care costs.
17. We will not knowingly misrepresent our service or our health care workers.
18. We will take all precautions possible to insure the safety of our health care workers and clients.