Quality management is vital to the delivery of quality care to patients in nursing homes. Inadequate management and oversight is a prime of neglect and abuse.
It is important for you to know the role of each member of the management team to effectively advocate for your loved one.
Director of Nursing
The Director of Nursing (DON) is responsible for ensuring the quality of nursing care at the nursing home. To that end, she is responsible for the ongoing training of nurses and nursing assistants, the staffing ratios, the facility's compliance with Federal and State regulations, and quality control of the resident care.
The DON reports to the nursing home Administrator who, in turn, reports to the Governing Body of the nursing home. When facilities are in between DONs or if the facility has a high turnover in DONs, there is an increased risk of neglect and abuse.
Medical Director
The Medical Director is the highest level of medical management in the nursing home and is responsible for the quality of clinical care.
In addition to the overall responsibility for the clinical care in the nursing home, the Medical Director is also responsible for implementing the facility's clinical policies and procedures. It is common for the Medical Director to also be the primary treating physician for many of the nursing home residents thereby having first hand knowledge of the nursing care.
The Medical Director reports to the Administrator.
Administrator
The Administrator is the general manager of the nursing home and is responsible for the overall quality of care at the facility.
The Administrator oversees the DON and Medical Director and is charged with ensuring that they perform their responsibilities. Without adequate oversight of the management team, nursing home patients are at significant risk for neglect and abuse.
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