230. Long-Term Care
230.997 Clinical Knowledge of Long Term Care for the Elderly
The Colorado Medical Society (CMS) recommends that Colorado physicians caring for frail, elderly residents in long term care settings as medical directors and/or primary care physicians maintain appropriate clinical knowledge in the practice of geriatrics, including appropriate use of medications, restraint reduction, hydration, pain control and palliation, appropriate vaccinations, fall prevention, pressure sore prevention and treatment, advance directives, and neglect/abuse recognition, including 2014 statutory changes to legal elder abuse.
Geriatric clinical knowledge additionally includes appropriate diagnosis and treatment of dementia and delirium in frail patients in long-term care settings prior to the initiation of psychotropic medications.
CMS encourages physicians working in long-term care settings to share their clinical knowledge with other non-physician practitioners working with the same frail, elderly patients.
(RES-5, AM 2003; Revised, BOD-1, AM 2014)
230.998 Case Management
The Colorado Medical Society (CMS) endorses the utilization of qualified geriatric case managers for the coordination of screening and assessment of long-term care applicants, and for the subsequent development, implementation, monitoring and reassessment of a plan of care. The CMS support legislation to assure the qualification of case managers, to include licensure by an appropriate regulatory agency.
(RES-41, AM 1989; Sunset, BOD-1, AM 2014)
230.999 Standards and Credentialing for Case Managers
The Colorado Medical Society supports the development of guidelines for case management to insure the safety and well being of the patient. Special attention should be paid to the role of family case managers and other caring non-professional case managers, recognizing their functions in cost containment. Physician case management time should be considered an appropriate activity worthy of reimbursement.
(RES-46, AM 1988; Reaffirmed, BOD-1, AM 2014)