Critical Incident Reporting
Manual
(OAAS-MAN-19-002)
For OAAS Waiver
Programs - State Incident
Management System (SIMS)
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Critical Incidents Reporting Manual for SIMS
I. Policy Statement
It is the policy of the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH), Office of Aging and Adult
Services (OAAS) that all critical incidents for OAAS Home and Community-Based
Services (HCBS) waivers be reported, investigated, and tracked. Such tracking and
reporting is a component of meeting federal health and welfare assurance requirements
for HCBS waivers. Critical incident categories are as follows: abuse, neglect,
exploitation, extortion, major injury, major medical events, death, falls, major medication
incidents, major behavioral incidents, involvement with law enforcement (participant
arrested or victim of a crime), and loss or destruction of a participant’s home.
II. Purpose
The purpose of this policy is to establish uniformity and consistency in reporting and
responding to critical incidents that can impact the health and welfare of OAAS waiver
participants.
III. References
The following are references from the Louisiana Revised Statutes which authorize
reporting requirements in law regarding critical incidents for elders and adults with
disabilities.
These references serve to inform individuals who receive supports and services through
OAAS HCBS waiver programs, their responsible representatives, Support Coordination
Agencies (SCAs), and Direct Service Providers (DSPs), as well as the general public, of
the functions of OAAS and requirements for reporting critical incidents.
A. La. R.S. 40:2009.13 through 40:2009.21 “Health Care Provider Complaints;
Procedures; Immunity”
B. La. R.S. 14:403.2 “Reporting Requirements of Louisiana Adult Protective
Services and Elderly Protective Services”
C. La. R.S. 15:1501-15:1511 “Adult Protective Services Act”
IV. Critical Incident Reporting Overview
It is the policy of OAAS to assess, investigate, report, and follow-up on all critical
incidents involving all Community Choices (CC) Waiver participants. When an event is
considered critical, the provider must immediately ensure the health and welfare of the
participant and complete a LDH HCBS Critical Incident Report. The provider and/or the
SCA must report critical incidents within two (2) hours of first knowledge of the incident.
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The critical incident reporter (DSP or SC) is required to complete and submit the
HCBS Critical Incident Report within 24 hours of discovery of the incident and
must provide a follow up note within three (3) working days.
A. OAAS regional offices, SCAs, and DSPs must comply with all applicable federal
and state statutes and regulations, including but not limited to:
i. State statutes on matters related to reporting abuse, neglect, exploitation,
or extortion;
ii. Licensing regulations on matters related to reporting critical
incidents; and
iii. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) on
matters related to confidentiality of individual information.
B. OAAS regional offices, SCAs, DSPs (including MIHC) and ADHCs must report
all crimes to local law enforcement agencies.
C. If appropriate, OAAS regional offices, SCAs, DSPs (including MIHC) and
ADHDs must report allegations of abuse, neglect, exploitation, or extortion
(A/N/E/E) directly and immediately to the appropriate protective services agency.
The following agencies are responsible for investigating such allegations:
i. OAAS Adult Protective Services (APS): Handles reports involving
vulnerable individuals ages 18 to 59.
ii. Governor’s Office of Elderly Affairs Elderly Protective Services (EPS):
Handles reports involving vulnerable individuals ages 59 and over.
iii. LDH Health Standards Section (HSS): Handles reports for people who
reside in a public or private Intermediate Care Facility for persons with
Developmental Disabilities (ICFs/DD), ICF/Nursing Facilities, and for
APS cases in which the alleged perpetrator is an employee of an agency
licensed by HSS (e.g., an employee of a personal care attendant agency).
D. OAAS must collaborate with DSPs and SCAs to ensure the implementation of
procedures is consistent with the following process:
i. Assure that the participant is protected from further harm and that medical
or other services are provided, as needed;
ii. Complete incident report and assure that the information is entered and
monitored in the critical incident reporting system;
iii. Continue to follow-up to determine the cause and details of the critical
incident;
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iv. Convene the participant’s support team, when appropriate, to review the
Plan of Care (POC)/service plan to identify possible measures to prevent
or mitigate the reoccurrence of similar critical incidents;
v. Revise the POC/service plan, as indicated, and monitor the effectiveness
of the revised plan; and
vi. Close the critical incident in critical incident reporting system.
E. Restrictive Interventions and Restraints - OAAS prohibits the use of restrictive
interventions/restraints. Any instances of restraint that threaten participants’
health and welfare should be referred to APS, EPS or HSS as outlined above.
i. Physical Restraint - any manual method or physical or mechanical
device, material or equipment attached to or adjacent to the individual’s
body that the individual cannot easily remove in the same way that it was
applied and which restricts freedom of movement or normal access to
one’s body.
F. On first becoming aware of an incident, SCAs and DSPs must report non-APS
critical incidents (in the critical incident reporting system) as follows:
i. To the OAAS regional office via the critical incident reporting system
for people receiving HCBS waiver services;
ii. To the (HSS) for people receiving services in a residential facility (nursing
facility or ICF/DD).
V. Protective Services Cases
A. Protective Services Critical incidents shall be reported by any person having
cause to believe that an adult's physical or mental health or welfare has been or
may be further adversely affected by abuse, neglect, exploitation, or extortion and
shall report to the adult protection agency or to law enforcement. (Louisiana
Revised Statute 14:403.2). The OAAS Adult Protective Services receives intake
on all allegations of A/N/E/E of waiver participants aged 18 to 59 through a
central reporting telephone number.
i. Investigation and Critical incident reporting system Entry Roles
Allegations of A/N/E/E of participants aged 18-59 AND do not
involve provider staff/employees are reported to APS by the
DSP, SCA, and OAAS, as appropriate. These cases are entered
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into the critical incident reporting system by APS only.
Allegations that do not involve provider
staff/employees are investigated by APS.
a. APS is required to complete the case and documentation
within 120 calendar days. Upon conclusion of the case and
transfer to waiver office, APS may make recommendations
for additional actions to be performed by the DSP, SCA,
OAAS regional office, or HSS staff in order to prevent
future occurrences. An additional 30 calendar days is
allowed to ensure that the recommendations for prevention
are implemented by the appropriate entities prior to
incident closure.
b. Upon closure by the waiver office, any interventions or
recommendations from APS are communicated to the SCA
and DSP to prevent future reoccurrence.
B. Elderly Protective Services
i. Allegations involving participants 60 years of age and older AND do not
involve provider staff/employees are entered into critical incident
reporting system by the SC or DSP. After investigation, the regional office
manager obtains the EPS findings/recommendations for the elderly
participants, addresses the recommendations, and regional office staff
enters the information into critical incident reporting system.
C. Health Standards
i. HSS investigates A/N/E/E allegations against licensed provider
staff/employees. When APS is notified of an allegation of A/N/E/E
against a provider employee, APS refers the report to HSS for
investigation, action, and critical incident reporting system entry. OAAS
regional staff monitors the progress of these investigations and contacts
HSS to obtain and review HSS findings if the case has not been
transferred to waiver office after 120 calendar days of incident referral.
Regional office staff, DSP, and the SCA will implement improvement
strategies as appropriate.
VI. Implementation
A. OAAS must utilize the critical incident reporting system to track and analyze the
following:
i. Incidents reported,
ii. Timeliness of response to the incident,
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iii. Resolution and response to the incident by the applicable
agencies involved, and
iv. Trends and patterns.
B. OAAS must follow established protocols to address reporting of critical incidents
resulting in abuse, neglect, exploitation, extortion, and/or self-neglect.
C. OAAS must coordinate with other government agencies and providers to promote
and ensure the health, and welfare of individuals in need of protection who
receive supports and services through OAAS HCBS.
VII. Responsibilities
A. Participant and/or family responsibilities:
i. Report critical incidents immediately to the DSP and/or SCA;
ii. Report incidents involving abuse, neglect, exploitation, and extortion
to APS or EPS;
iii. Cooperate with investigations and information gathering; and
iv. Participate in any planning meetings convened to resolve the critical
incident or to develop strategies to prevent or mitigate the likelihood
of similar critical incidents occurring in the future.
B. Direct Service Provider responsibilities:
i. Take immediate action to assure the participant is protected from further
harm and respond to emergency needs of the participant;
ii. When a DSP has firsthand knowledge of a critical incident, the DSP will
enter the critical incident into the critical incident reporting system;
iii. Report incidents involving A/N/E/E to APS or EPS when the allegation
is against provider staff, the DSP must ensure that any accused staff
involved are removed and not have any contact with the alleged
victim (participant) or other participants receiving supports and services,
pending the outcome of the investigation;
C. Contact the SCA/support coordinator by phone or fax immediately
after taking all necessary actions to protect the participant from further
harm and responding to the emergency needs of the participant but no later
than 2 hours after the discovery of the critical incident;
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i. Complete the LDH Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) Critical
Incident Report Form,OAAS-PF-10-014, and enter this form into the
critical incident reporting system as soon as possible upon discovery, but
no later than 24 hours after the discovery of the critical incident;
ii. Cooperate with the investigation and provide all necessary follow-up
documentation on the LHH HCBS Critical Incident Report Form, at a
minimum, by close of the third business day after the initial report in the
critical incident reporting system;
iii. Submit updates in the critical incident reporting system regarding the
critical incident, at a minimum weekly, until resolution and closure of the
critical incident; and
iv. Participate in any planning meetings convened to resolve the critical
incident or to develop strategies to prevent or mitigate the likelihood of
similar critical incidents occurring in the future.
In the event of a fall which occurred during service delivery by
any DSP, including Adult Day Health Care (ADHC), conduct a
fall assessment using the OAAS Fall Assessment Form OAAS-PF-
10-012, and submit with the initial Critical Incident Description;
subsequently, conduct a fall analysis and complete the OAAS Fall
Analysis and Action Form, OAAS-PF-10-013, and submit with the
Direct Service Provider Follow-up into the critical incident
reporting system.
In the event of a fall which occurred outside of direct service
delivery, which is discovered by any DSP, including ADHC, the
DSP must follow the reporting procedures described in steps i
through vii above. In this event, the SC has primary responsibility
for completing the OAAS Fall Assessment Form and the OAAS
Fall Analysis and Action Form into the critical incident reporting
system.
Report all Major Medical Events in the critical incident reporting
system, including acute care visits. The SC screens these reports
to determine if they meet the criteria for a Major Medical Event.
D. Support Coordination Agency (SCA) responsibilities:
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i. Take immediate action to assure the participant is protected from further
harm and respond to any emergency needs of the participant;
ii. When the incident is discovered by the Support Coordinator (SC), contact
tthe DSP within 2 hours of discovery, and enter the incident in the critical
incident reporting system;
iii. Report incidents involving abuse, neglect, exploitation, and extortion to
APS or EPS;
iv. Enter critical incident report information into the critical incident
reporting system by close of the following business day after notification
of a critical incident (when the SC first discovers an incident);
v. Enter follow-up case note by close of the sixth business day after initial
report;
vi. Continue to follow up with the DSP, the participant, and others, as
necessary, and update critical incident reporting system with case notes
until the incident is resolved and the case is closed;
vii. Convene any planning meetings that may be needed to resolve the critical
incident, develop strategies to prevent and/or mitigate the likelihood of
similar critical incidents occurring in the future and revise the POC when
needed;
viii. Send the participant a copy of the Incident Participant Summary within
fifteen (15) calendar days after the incident closure by the Regional
Office. It does not include the identity of the reporter or any sensitive
or unsubstantiated allegations. The Participant Summary is not
distributed in the event of deaths; and
ix. Track critical incidents to identify remediation needs and quality
improvement goals to determine the effectiveness of strategies employed.
In the event a fall, which occurred during service delivery by
any DSP, including ADHC, ensure that the DSP conducts a fall
assessment using the OAAS Fall Assessment Form; validates the
information in the Fall Assessment through participant and/or
family interview; ensures that the DSP conducts a fall analysis
using the OAAS Fall Analysis and Action Form; reviews analysis
and collaborates with DSP to implement preventative strategies;
includes preventative strategies in the POC; and submits this
information timely into critical incident reporting system (when the
SC first discovers a critical incident) ;
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In the event of a fall, which occurred outside of direct service
delivery and is reported to or discovered by the SC, the SC is
responsible in collaborating with the participant, informal supports
and any applicable providers to complete the activities described in
#9. In this event, the SC has primary responsibility for completing
the OAAS Fall Assessment Form and the OAAS Fall Analysis and
Action Form; entering the OAAS Fall Assessment Form with the
Critical Incident Description; and the OAAS Fall Analysis and
Action Form is entered.
SC will screen major determine whether they meet the definition
of a Major Medical Event as described in section XII.B. If SC
determines it does not meet criteria, check “No” box on Critical
Incident Report form in follow-up section and notify the DSP.
E. OAAS Regional Office Manager (or designee) responsibilities:
i. On a daily basis, review all new critical incidents, determine priority level
(urgent or non-urgent), and assign cases to regional staff.
ii. Alert staff members of urgent cases within 1 business day of receipt of the
incident and take appropriate action.
iii. Review and approve extension requests made by Regional Office staff
(extensions may be granted up to 30 calendar days at a time); Extensions
should not exceed 90 calendar days except for APS cases in which case
extensions must not exceed 150 calendar days.
iv. Assure that all mandatory fields are entered into critical incident reporting
system prior to case closure.
v. Close cases after all needed follow-up has occurred and all necessary data
has been entered into critical incident reporting system (Incident Closure).
vi. Track critical incidents to identify remediation needs and quality
improvement goals and to determine the effectiveness of strategies
employed.
vii. Review death incidents and determine if referral to the OAAS Mortality
Review Committee is indicated. The regional office staff reviews key
information about the death in making the determination that further
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investigation is warranted to ascertain the circumstances of the death.
Some triggers that may prompt further review include: discharge from a
medical facility; after a change in medication; while eating/drinking; after
a fall; deaths other than by natural causes; or any suspicious deaths.
viii. Complete the Participant Summary Report.
F. OAAS Regional Office Staff responsibilities:
i. Continue to follow up with the SCA; provide technical assistance, as
necessary; and request additional information in writing, as necessary,
until closure of the critical incident;
ii. Make timely referrals to other agencies, as necessary;
iii. Assure that all necessary information is entered into the critical incident
reporting system by the SCAs;
iv. Assure that activities occur within required timelines, including closure of
the incident within 30 calendar days, unless an extension has been granted;
v. Submit requests for extensions to the Regional Manager for review and
approval; and
vi. Complete that the Incident Participant Summary note is completed for all
cases, including APS cases.
G. OAAS State Office responsibilities:
i. Provide technical assistance to regional office staff, as needed;
ii. Identify statewide needs for training regarding: (a) response to critical
incidents; (b) adherence to the critical incident policy; (c) critical
incident reporting system entry of critical incident data; (d) tracking
critical incidents; (e) using data for remediation and/or quality
enhancement; and (f) other related topics;
iii. At least quarterly, aggregate and review report data representing 100% of
the incidents for adherence to policy, appropriateness of extensions, and
analyze actions taken to address/resolve the critical incident, non-resolved
cases, and other pertinent issues as determined by regional and state office
staff;
iv. Identify any remediation actions needed to be taken by DSPs, SCAs, or
regional office staff;
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v. Aggregate critical incident data and analyze the data to identify trends and
patterns;
vi. Generate and review reports of the trends and patterns to identify
potential quality enhancement goals; and
vii. Use critical incident data to determine the effectiveness of quality
enhancement strategies.
viii. The OAAS Mortality Review Committee monitors and analyzes
suspicious deaths to: (1) identify remediation activities associated
with provider individual cases; (2) generate recommendations for
system level quality improvement; and (3) reduce future risk.
VIII. Follow-up Process
A. The Follow-up from the DSP is defined as an update of information
received since the initial report that includes all actions taken by the provider
to resolve the incident and prevent future recurrence.
For falls, written follow-up must include an OAAS Fall
Analysis and Action Form. See Direct Service Provider
agency responsibilities.
B. If nothing has changed or no actions were taken since the initial report, the
DSP must state this in writing by the follow-up due date.
C. In cases where the SC notified the DSP of an incident, the DSP must send
a written report by the 3
rd
business day after notification.
D. Participant Death Incidents: If the initial DSP report contains all required
information AND the DSP has addressed all questions/concerns from the SC
and regional office, the SC may use the “Report Received” date/time as the
“Follow-up Received” date/time.
E. If the SC does not receive the written follow-up by the close of the 3
rd
business day after the initial report, SCs are responsible for contacting the DSP,
obtaining a verbal report, requesting the written report, and documenting
these actions in the critical incident reporting system.
F. If the DSP fails to submit the written follow-up by the 6
th
business day, the
SC notifies the regional office via email. The regional office sends a warning
notice, i.e., verbal or written, to the DSP and works to acquire acceptable
documentation prior to incident closure. Regional office enters documentation
of the warning notice into the Staff Notes section of the CIR.
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G. If the SC does not receive the written follow-up by the close of the 3
rd
business day after the initial report, SCs are responsible for contacting the DSP,
obtaining a verbal report, requesting the written report, and documenting
these actions in the critical incident system.
H. If the DSP fails to submit the written follow-up by the 6
th
business day, the
SC notifies the regional office via the critical incident reporting system. The
regional office sends a warning notice, in the critical incident reporting system,
to the DSP and works to acquire acceptable documentation prior to incident
closure. Regional office enters documentation of the warning notice into the
Staff Notes section of the critical incident.
I. At the time of incident closure, if the DSP has not submitted written follow-up,
the regional office enters a note into critical incident reporting system which
states “Written Report not received from DSP”. DSPs that do not respond to the
regional office warning are reported to Health Standards Section (HSS) with
supporting documentation.
IX. DSP Non-compliance with Written Follow-up Policy
A. SCs must contact the DSP manager if a follow-up note is not received by the
3
rd
business day after the initial report. During this contact the SCs must
request verbal follow-up, inform the DSP manager that written follow- up report
is still required and it must be received by noon on the 6
th
business day (SC due
date).
B. If the SC does not receive the follow-up note by noon on the 6
th
business day,
the SC notifies OAAS regional office via the critical incident reporting system.
C. The Regional Office will then send a warning notice, i.e., verbal or written, to the
DSP that written follow-up is past due.
D. The SC enters in critical incident reporting system all relevant documentation
related to the noncompliance.
E. When no DSP follow-up report is received by the incident closure due date,
the Regional Office will enter the following:
Follow-up received (in this case, infers verbal follow-up only)
Written follow-up not received
ii. Email the OAAS Quality Manager with the incident ID number, who will
then report these findings to the appropriate HSS HCBS Manager for
action.
X. Self-Direction Option - Because there is no DSP involved with participants using the
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Self-Direction Option under the (CC)Waiver, the 3 mandatory events which would
normally involve a DSP should be entered into critical incident reporting system as
follows:
A. Enter the date and time that the SC notified the responsible representative of the
incident when applicable. If there is not a responsible representative, enter the
date and time that the SC first spoke with the participant about the incident.
B. Self-directed participants are not required to send a written report to the SC.
Enter this field as the same date and time entered for “Reported by DSP” or
“SC Notified DSP”.
C. Self-directed participants are not required to send a written follow-up report to
the SC. The SC must contact the participant or responsible representative, as
applicable, to obtain a verbal follow-up report. Enter this date and time for the
Follow-up note.
XI. Oversight of Critical Incidents - OAAS collaborates with DSPs, SCAs, APS, EPS, and
HSS to ensure the implementation of critical incident procedures to accomplish the
following:
A. Assure that the participant is protected from further harm and that medical or
other services are provided as needed.
B. Complete incident report and assure that the information is entered and monitored
in the critical incident reporting system.
C. Continue to follow-up to determine the cause and details of the critical incident.
D. Convene the participant’s support team, when appropriate, to review the POC to
identify possible measures to prevent or mitigate the reoccurrence of similar
incidents.
E. Revise the POC as indicated and monitor the effectiveness of the revised plan.
F. Close the critical incident in critical incident reporting system.
G. Inform the participant and other relevant parties of the investigation results.
H. APS is required to complete the case and documentation within 120 calendar
days. Upon conclusion of the case and transfer to waiver office, APS may make
recommendations for additional actions to be performed by the DSP, SCA, OAAS
regional office, or HSS staff in order to prevent future occurrences. An additional
30 calendar days is allowed to ensure that the recommendations for prevention are
implemented by the appropriate entities prior to incident closure.
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I. Upon closure by the waiver office, the SC will send the participant a
summary of the incident with recommendations to prevent future
reoccurrence.
XII. OAAS Critical Incident Categories
A. Major injury – any suspected or confirmed wound or injury to a person
of known or unknown origin which requires treatment by a physician, dentist,
nurse, or other licensed health care provider.
NOTE: Use this category only if there is no reason to suspect abuse or
neglect.
B. Major Medical Event – an occurrence in which the participant receives a
medical procedure by a physician, nurse practitioner, dentist, or other
licensed health care provider either during an inpatient or outpatient visit,
and a new diagnosis is identified or new orders for medications, services
(such as Home Health), therapy, equipment, health-related tasks, or treatments
are prescribed. See Appendix D for additional information on the Major
Medical Event incident category.
NOTE: Major Medical Events does NOT include routine doctor’s office
visits, routine treatments, routine laboratory tests, scheduled medical
procedures, and emergency room visits that do not meet the Major Medical
Event definition.
Medical procedures DO include evaluation, diagnostic screening/testing,
surgery, and laboratory work.
C. Death - all deaths of participants are reportable, regardless of the cause or the
location where the death occurred. The CIR must include the circumstances
surrounding the death, prior to and at the time of death. Documentation must
address:
i. Dates of all events and correspondence;
ii. Cause of death;
iii. If the participant was receiving Hospice or Home Health services;
iv. The who, what, when, where, and why facts concerning the death;
v. If the direct service worker was present with the participant at the time
of death;
vi. Relevant medical history and CIRs associated with the death.
D. Fall - when the person is (1) found down on the floor (un-witnessed event) or (2)
comes to rest on the floor unintentionally, whether or not the person is being
assisted at the time.
E. Major medication incident – means the administration of medication in an
incorrect form; not as prescribed or ordered, or to the wrong person, or the failure
to administer a prescribed medication; which requires treatment by a physician,
nurse, dentist, or any licensed health care provider.
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NOTE: Applies to all types of Major Medication Incidents.
Medication errors may be due to the following:
i. Staff error - the staff fails to administer a prescribed medication, or
administers the wrong medication or dosage to a person; staff failure to fill
a new prescription order within 24 hours or a medication refill prior to the
next ordered dosage.
ii. Pharmacy error - the pharmacy dispenses the wrong medication, wrong
dose, provides inaccurate/inappropriate administration directions, etc.
Report to the Louisiana Board of Pharmacy at 225-925-6496.
iii. Participant error - the person unintentionally fails to take his/her
medication as prescribed.
iv. Family error - a family member intentionally or unintentionally fails to
administer a prescribed medication, or fails to fill a new prescription order
within 24 hours, or fails to obtain a medication refill prior to the next
ordered dosage.
F. Major Behavioral Incident - the occurrence of an incident that can reasonably
be expected to result in harm or may affect the safety and well-being of the
person. The following are examples of major behavioral incidents: attempted
suicide, suicidal threats, self-endangerment, elopement, self-injury, and physical
aggression. Offensive sexual behavior and sexual aggression are considered
reportable if it is a new behavior which is not addressed in the POC, or if there
has been an increase in intensity or frequency.
G. Involvement with law enforcement resulting in participant’s arrest.
H. Participant is victim of a crime - A participant is the victim of a reportable
offense under local, state, or federal statutes.
NOTE: Do NOT enter a Critical Incident Report with this category if the
offense may meet the definition of abuse, neglect, exploitation or extortion
(see reporting instructions in section IV.B.)
I. Loss or Destruction of Home – damage to or loss of the participant’s home that
causes harm or the risk of harm to the participant. This may be the result of any
action, man-made or natural. Examples include fire, flooding, eviction, unsafe or
unhealthy living environment, etc.
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Appendix A
Adult Protective Services Definitions
A. Abuse
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1. Physical – contact or actions that result in injury or pain; such as, hitting,
pinching, yanking, shoving, pulling hair, etc.
2. Emotional - threats, ridicule, isolation, intimidation, harassment
3. Sexual – any unwanted sexual activity, without regard to contact or injury; any
sexual activity with a person whose capacity to consent or resist is limited.
B. Neglect
1. Care Giver – means withholding or not assuring provision of basic
necessary care; such as, food, water, medical, other support services, shelter,
safety, reasonable personal and home cleanliness or any other necessary care.
2. Self – means failing, through one’s own action or inaction,
to secure basic essentials; such as, food, medical, care, support services,
shelter, utilities or any other care needed for one’s well-being.
C. Exploitation – the misuse of someone’s money, services, property, or the use of a
power of attorney or guardianship for one’s own purposes.
D. Extortion – taking something of value from a person by force, intimidation, or
abuse of legal or official authority.
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Critical Incidents Reporting Manual for SIMS
Appendix B
Department of Health and Hospitals
Home and Community-Based Services
Critical Incident Report Form (OAAS-PF-10-014)
(See OAAS Website, Critical Incident Reporting Resources Page.)
http://www.dhh.louisiana.gov/index.cfm/newsroom/detail/1418?uuid=1295548
571800
Critical Incident Reporting Forms
Critical Incident Report Form
Fall Assessment Form
Fall Analysis Action Form
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Appendix C
Critical Incident Report Definitions
Case Notes
Narrative elements to be entered by the Support Coordinator and the
OAAS Waiver Regional Office staff as appropriate (located on the
Incident Case Notes page). Support Coordinators and Waiver staff
have the capability to enter information in the Description and Follow-
up fields. Only Waiver staff has the capability to enter information
in Staff Notes, Messages, Final Report, and Summary fields.
1.
Description – Narrative detailing all aspects of the incident, including but
not limited to: occurrences before, during, and after the incident; person(s)
present; actions taken in response to the incident; any agencies/persons
notified; condition of participant.
2.
Follow-up – Actions, interventions, activities implemented in response to
the incident. The DSP or SC is required to submit the Follow-up note in
the critical incident reporting system within 3 calendar days of incident.
3.
Notes – Communication from Waiver Regional Offices to the Support
Coordination Agency to provide instruction or request further information,
clarification, action, etc.
4.
Staff Notes– Ongoing information and activities documented by Waiver
Regional Office Staff.
5.
Final Report – Narrative compiled by Waiver Regional Office staff
detailing the incident and all actions taken until closure/resolution,
including recommendations made and to whom.
6.
Participant Summary – Also known as the Participant Summary, a report
compiled by Waiver Regional Office staff to be given to the participant (or
family, responsible representative) and DSP to inform them of the
incident description, activities, and results. Components of the Participant
Summary should include a Description, Actions Taken, Resolution, and
Suggested Precautions to Prevent Recurrence.
7.
Incident Closure by Waiver Office – Date and time that the Regional
Manager or designee reviews the incident and closes the case when an
APS case is transferred to waiver.
8.
Extension - Additional time allowed for completion and closure of a
critical incident. Extensions are approved by the Regional Manager or
designee when additional time is needed to respond to the incident.
Primary examples include hospitalizations, temporary admission to a long
term care facility, or awaiting Protective Services report. Extensions must
not be granted for more than 30 calendar days at a time. Extensions
should not exceed 90 calendar days unless it is an APS case in which
case extensions must not exceed 150 calendar days, which also includes
HSS and Mortality Review Committee investigations.
9.
Priority Level - A determination made by the Regional Manager or
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designee as to the degree of severity and immediacy of action required
for each critical incident (located on the Waiver Incident Investigation
page). Priority levels are either urgent or non-urgent. Yes = Urgent
and No = Non- urgent
1. Urgent – any event or situation that creates a significant risk of
substantial harm to the physical or mental health or welfare of
a waiver participant.
2. Non-Urgent – all other events/situations.
10.
Conversion of Waiver Case to APS Case - When a DSP or SC
discovers new information that causes them to suspect that a waiver
incident meets the definition of an APS case they must report the case
immediately to APS AND report this action to the regional waiver
office. The regional waiver office must contact APS to ascertain whether
the case has been accepted by APS.
Appendix D
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Major Medical Event
Purpose of the Major Medical Event Category:
To capture medical events that result in changes that need to be addressed in the participant’s
Plan of Care (POC). The primary purpose is to identify and address any post-discharge needs
and how they will be met by informal, formal, or both supports. In short, the purpose is to:
•
ensure that required actions have been taken to protect a participant’s health and welfare;
•
reduce risk and prevent recurrence in the community;
•
ensure that support coordinators assist the participant/family when necessary; and
•
document how and by whom the Major Medical Event was addressed.
Major Medical Event Definition:
•
Occurrence in which the participant receives a medical procedure by a physician, nurse
practitioner, dentist, or other licensed health care provider which involves either:
o an admission or overnight stay in a health facility or
o an outpatient visit (i.e. Emergency Room, Urgent Care, etc.)
•
And involves either:
a new diagnosis or
new orders for medications, services (such as Home Health), therapy,
equipment, health-related tasks, and/or treatments.
Responsibilities:
The Support Coordinator (SC) has crucial responsibilities in responding to Major Medical Event
Critical Incidents:
•
To maintain regular contact with the participant/family while the participant remains in
an inpatient facility or to make contact promptly following an outpatient procedure or
other occurrence.
•
To collaborate with the facility Discharge Planner or other appropriate staff person as
needed to anticipate changes in the participant’s condition and ensure that those changes
are addressed upon release.
•
To perform MDS-HC reassessment, focused assessment, and/or Plan of Care (POC)
revision as appropriate and necessary.
•
To document in the critical incident reporting system (when SC is the one to
discover an incident) how the participant’s change in condition was addressed after
release to the community. Examples of this include: implementation of protective
measures, actions to ensure effective service delivery, prevention strategies, etc.
Major Medical Event Exclusions:
A Major Medical Event does NOT include:
•
routine doctor’s office visits
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•
routine laboratory tests
•
Emergency Room visits that do not result in new orders in the community
Direct Service Provider (DSP) Reporting:
The Major Illness definition has not changed for DSPs. DSPs must continue to report all
major illnesses including acute care visits in the critical incident reporting system. The
SC will determine if the incident meets Major Medical Event criteria and will determine
if it’s eligible.
NOTE: If DSP submits a critical incident report for Major Medical Event
and SC determines it does not meet criteria, follow the “not eligible”
procedure in the SIMS training manual.
Documentation should not include a detailed description of what happened
to them while in the facility.