Policy and Procedures Flashcards
Organizations develop policies and procedures to
Reduce confusion and inconsistencies with various practices
Hierarchy
Laws Regulations Bylaws Policies Procedures Guidelines
Hierarchy - Laws
First
Mandatory rules developed by authorities or governmental bodies
Hierarchy - Regulations
Second
Detailed requirements or provisions developed by regulatory and/or accreditation bodies
Hierarchy - Bylaws
Third
Rules approved by an organization that are a basis for managing and operations.
How it will conduct its business.
Helps to define the mission
Hierarchy - Policies
Fourth
Plan or course of action developed by an organization and driven by laws, regulations, and bylaws
Concise, formal statements on how an entity will meed laws and regulations
Hierarchy - Procedures
Fifth
Step by step requirements to complete so a policy is met
Also called standard operating procedures
Hierarchy - Guidelines
Sixth
Best practice
General statements or recommendations to complete or implement procedures
Actions and decisions are influenced by
Policies
Four basic reasons that policies are developed
Operational
Compliance
Risk Management
Quality Management
Policies state
what an organization will do in a given situation and who is responsible for the action
They influence our decisions and actions while we go about our day
Four basic reasons that policies are developed - Operational
Provide information on how day to day activities or functions of a business are completed
How to consistently meed the needs of the consumer
Four basic reasons that policies are developed - Compliance
Indicate how the organization is following or aligning with laws, rules, regulations
Four basic reasons that policies are developed - Risk Management
Policies assist in decreasing the potential hazards or risks that could occur for a business or organization
Dec the liability risks
Prevent losses
Defend the organization if legal proceeding occur
Four basic reasons that policies are developed - Quality Management
Policies are utilized to ensure effective and efficient processes are consistently followed in an organization
When improvements are obtained, policies assist in maintaining those improvement
Development of a policy - A policy is a ___ ___ ___ that does what
General, broad statement
That guides thinking, shapes the bx and established limitations
Development of a policy - it sets
the standard for actions and decisions
Development of a policy - It should provide
Flexibility with changing situations while at the same time providing sufficient details to be useful and provide information about what to do in a situation
Development of a policy - A policy should be ____ and ____ and written in a way that
Current and relevant
Written in a way that it can remain in force for long periods of time
All policies should have a consistent format
Development of a policy - A policy focuses on the
who, what, when, where
Examples of policy topics
Scope of service Staffing Emergency plan Dress code Employee orientation and training Employee promotion
Questions to ask when looking at a policy
If you were an employee wondering about a promotion, can you read the policy to determine requirements to request one?
Who, What, When, Where
Good policies are
Well thought out and reasonable
Communicated to all who need to know
Correlated with department objectives or mission
Policies are written for
an entire organization or for a department within an organization
There must be congruence with these policies
Procedures - A procedure is a
Detailed statement on how an activity should be accomplished
Procedures - A procedure is a description of
How to carry out a policy and complete business for an organization
Policies vs. Procedures over time
Policies are more timeless and likely do not have to be modified when new technology is developed
Procedures evolve over time. They provide details or steps in dealing with a specific situation and change when tasks change to efficiently meet the intent of the policy
Procedures not only provide instruction about a process but also ensure
Uniformity of processes between employees
Facilitate training
Can be used to appraise one’s work and how they perform in a position
Scope of policies and procedures
Administrative
Interdepartmental
Departmental
Scope of policies and procedures - Administrative
Rules for an entire organization
Scope of policies and procedures - Administrative examples
Policies for unscheduled absences, vacation time, and performance evaluations
Scope of policies and procedures - Interdepartmental
Rules for multiple departments
Scope of policies and procedures - Interdepartmental - Examples
Policy for scheduling a patient for preoperative teaching that includes multiple departments
Scope of policies and procedures - Departmental
Those that pertain to a single department
Scope of policies and procedures - Departmental examples
Policy on cleaning rehab equipment or the clinical site policy for the DPT program
(process only pertains to the DPT program and the other clinical programs at DMU have their own policies)
Rules of thumb for policies and procedures
1 Readily available 2 Revised and updated 3 Concise 4 Specific 5 Reviewed annually 6 Understandable 7 Used at orientation 8 Written to assist in consistency
Rules of thumb for policies and procedures - Readily available
Policies and procedures should be readily available to staff so that they can access them at anytime
They should not be put in a binder on a shelf and forgotten about - or on a website that is not well known by employees
Rules of thumb for policies and procedures - Revised
They should be revised and updated when necessary
Any time a process changes or when it is determined that they are outdated
Imperative that staff is included in this process
Rules of thumb for policies and procedures - Concise
Should not be verbose
Written so easy to read and find information easily
Rules of thumb for policies and procedures - Specific
Contain specific info to provide guidance (not contain personal names) - job positions when indicating responsible parties who complete that procedure of a policy
Rules of thumb for policies and procedures - Reviewed
Should be reviewed on an annual basis by management and with staff to ensure they are accurate
Good time to review with staff to ensure compliance too
Rules of thumb for policies and procedures - Understandable
Written so all who need to refer to the policy and procedure can understand the process
Should be clear and to the point
Rules of thumb for policies and procedures - Orientation
Used for new employee orientation and assist in training of staff
Rules of thumb for policies and procedures - Written to assist in consistency
And avoid allegation of favoritism
Also important in preventing implied policies
What is an implied policy
Where a process is in existance but it was never written down or went through formal process or review
Not the best practice for development of policies and should be avoided
Typical layout of a policy and procedure
Title and number to track Effective and last reviewed/revised date Policy statement Purpose statement Scope and background Procedures Definitions Approval signatures
Employees role - an eployee should
Know the policies and procedures that pertain to them - or at least know where to find them
Refer to the policies and procedures when unsure of a process
Challenge out dated policies and procedures
Assist in developing or updating policies and procedures as needed
