42 CFR 482.62 – Condition of participation: Special staff requirements for psychiatric hospitals
The hospital must have adequate numbers of qualified professional and supportive staff to evaluate patients, formulate written, individualized comprehensive treatment plans, provide active treatment measures, and engage in discharge planning.
(a) Standard: Personnel. The hospital must employ or undertake to provide adequate numbers of qualified professional, technical, and consultative personnel to:
(1) Evaluate patients;
(2) Formulate written individualized, comprehensive treatment plans;
(3) Provide active treatment measures; and
(4) Engage in discharge planning.
(b) Standard: Director of inpatient psychiatric services; medical staff. Inpatient psychiatric services must be under the supervision of a clinical director, service chief, or equivalent who is qualified to provide the leadership required for an intensive treatment program. The number and qualifications of doctors of medicine and osteopathy must be adequate to provide essential psychiatric services.
(1) The clinical director, service chief, or equivalent must meet the training and experience requirements for examination by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology or the American Osteopathic Board of Neurology and Psychiatry.
(2) The director must monitor and evaluate the quality and appropriateness of services and treatment provided by the medical staff.
(c) Standard: Availability of medical personnel. Doctors of medicine or osteopathy and other appropriate professional personnel must be available to provide necessary medical and surgical diagnostic and treatment services. If medical and surgical diagnostic and treatment services are not available within the institution, the institution must have an agreement with an outside source of these services to ensure that they are immediately available or a satisfactory agreement must be established for transferring patients to a general hospital that participates in the Medicare program.
(d) Standard: Nursing services. The hospital must have a qualified director of psychiatric nursing services. In addition to the director of nursing, there must be adequate numbers of registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, and mental health workers to provide nursing care necessary under each patient’s active treatment program and to maintain progress notes on each patient.
(1) The director of psychiatric nursing services must be a registered nurse who has a master’s degree in psychiatric or mental health nursing, or its equivalent from a school of nursing accredited by the National League for Nursing, or be qualified by education and experience in the care of the mentally ill. The director must demonstrate competence to participate in interdisciplinary formulation of individual treatment plans; to give skilled nursing care and therapy; and to direct, monitor, and evaluate the nursing care furnished.
(2) The staffing pattern must insure the availability of a registered professional nurse 24 hours each day. There must be adequate numbers of registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, and mental health workers to provide the nursing care necessary under each patient’s active treatment program.
(e) Standard: Psychological services. The hospital must provide or have available psychological services to meet the needs of the patients.
(f) Standard: Social services. There must be a director of social services who monitors and evaluates the quality and appropriateness of social services furnished. The services must be furnished in accordance with accepted standards of practice and established policies and procedures.
(1) The director of the social work department or service must have a master’s degree from an accredited school of social work or must be qualified by education and experience in the social services needs of the mentally ill. If the director does not hold a masters degree in social work, at least one staff member must have this qualification.
(2) Social service staff responsibilities must include, but are not limited to, participating in discharge planning, arranging for follow-up care, and developing mechanisms for exchange of appropriate, information with sources outside the hospital.
(g) Standard: Therapeutic activities. The hospital must provide a therapeutic activities program.
(1) The program must be appropriate to the needs and interests of patients and be directed toward restoring and maintaining optimal levels of physical and psychosocial functioning.
(2) The number of qualified therapists, support personnel, and consultants must be adequate to provide comprehensive therapeutic activities consistent with each patient’s active treatment program.