Search the Community

An important topic of conversation amongst Activity Directors is the hesitancy of other departments within our facilities to help out with activities. At Activity Directors Network we are constantly getting inquiries about the rules regarding this sensitive and unique subject. For this reason, I thought it would be helpful to introduce you to the CMS Critical Pathways form which is designed to help you determine compliance. Critical Path Methodology has been around awhile. It has been used in every industry to help build processes and procedures using measurable statistics to determine the best route to achieve success and determine where and when failure occurs. This is why it is such a useful tool for Activity Directors to utilize. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) have published documents related to the new State Survey process that went into effect 2017, and are being enforced as of 2018. The survey process combines the traditional survey and the QIS survey investigation methods. These new methods include Critical Element Pathways to help surveyors determine compliance, and you can use it to help your programs shine! Here is the link to the form: CMS-20065_ActivitiesCriticalPathways.pdf http://www.activitydirector.net/images/CMS-20065_ActivitiesCriticalPathways.pdf Use this form to determine if your facility activities are in compliance. Create a worksheet for your Activity Program that will help you to identify factors that may contribute to failure and/or deficiencies. It’s been my experience that facility procedures need to be updated and that the entire facility would benefit from better education in this area. It can be hard to bring this matter up to the other departments and creating tension from opposing viewpoints would only be counterproductive. This is how the form can help substantiate and legitimize your goal. Use the form to identify any potential deficiencies and then create an in-service to educate the staff. Presenting a well-researched plan to your Administrator and fellow department heads increases your potential for making a difference and solving any issues that have arisen out of an outdated approach. Hopefully, this form will help to bolster your confidence moving forward. Thanks for being a part of The Network, Pennie Bacon, Resource Director Activity Directors Network