Person Centered Excellence Report, February 2016

It is a good thing that this is a Leap Year as we needed the extra day in February to get all of our work done.

We worked on two major documents that we believe to be key pieces to our Person-Centered Excellence Plan.  The “Health Care Decisions Standard” was approved and is now operational.  This document outlines how we will support individuals to make their own health care decisions as well as to assist them in deciding whether or not to appoint a health care proxy.  Additionally, our concept paper on “Risks and Safeguards” was circulated and converted into a draft standard which should be approved no later than April.

We also held several important meetings. Bob Boehlert provided a very thorough presentation on the law regarding guardianship, establishing health care proxies, and life sustaining treatment. We held a follow-up meeting after Bob’s presentation to discuss how we are going to assist those we support in making their own health care decisions. Finally, the Operations Group continued its work on developing metrics for the Basic Assurances.

At this point, most of the foundational pieces of our journey are in place. Thus, future monthly reports will be different. Beginning in April, we will begin a monthly blog on person-centered excellence, at times offering articles on specific topics, documenting our journey at others, and inviting guest authors to share their experiences.