Nursing facility leaders operate in an environment where resident safety, regulatory accountability and organizational reputation intersect every day. When an event results in physical harm or suggests the presence of psychosocial harm, it is important for leaders to be aware of the risk for immediate jeopardy (IJ) to be identified. Although one may think that IJ is easily recognizable, quite the contrary is true. Despite the clear presence of IJ, the leader’s first action must be swift and decisive.
The key to a defensible, safety‑first response is the practice of immediate, comprehensive review of compliance expectations and deployment of corrective actions, for not only the affected resident, but the entire resident population.
The Compliance Store (TCS) offers several customizable IJ removal plan templates, which can be used to guide leaders’ actions either before an investigation by the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing (DIAL) to establish past noncompliance, or during a survey when an IJ template has been issued and a removal plan is urgently required. In addition to a general IJ removal template, members will find detailed plans for commonly cited situations, such as abuse, choking and elopement.
Instructions to access the IJ removal plans:
- Log into The Compliance Store.
- Members needing help activating their account should contact Emily Foreman with TCS.
- Choose Tools & Templates in the green ribbon.
- Select Survey Management from the dropdown menu.
- Click on Immediate Jeopardy Removal Plans.
Members who have not yet activated their complimentary access to TCS, IHCA’s newest member benefit, are encouraged to check it out! Learn more about this member benefit here. Questions about use of IJ removal plans should be directed to IHCA’s Brenda Irlbeck, VP of Regulatory Affairs.