Warning: you already may be out of compliance with restraint regs.
The Health Care Financing Administration's (HCFA's) controversial new regulations for physical and chemical restraints and seclusion went into effect Aug. 2. Many EDs already are out of compliance with the new regulations. Behavioral health standards now will apply in some cases instead of medical/surgical standards. A physician is required to do a face-to-face evaluation within one hour when a patient is restrained. Because psychiatric departments don't always have physicians available, they may have to rely on ED physicians to perform evaluations.
D014487:Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, U.S.; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000592:standards*; D019983:Guideline Adherence; D016365:Liability, Legal; D012149:Restraint, Physical / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000592:standards; D014481:United States