Dates on Care Plans

When printing a comprehensive care plan we date the care plan (and change all the onset dates to) the date of the actual care plan interdisciplinary review meeting. Is this how everyone else does it?

The onset date should be retained. This proves the care plan was developed when the problem was initially identified. Succeeding dates will indicate when it was reviewed and the outcomes/results documented.

My interdisciplinary team is used to doing their quarterly reviews of the care plan on the date that they actually key their mds items in the computer so they had been using the ARD date as the quarterly review date on their care plans. This didn't make much since to me to be care planning a week before the actual date we get together to review the care plan. Since I have came to the facility, I suggested that they wait to update and review the care plans in the actual care plan review meeting so that we all will have reviewed our sections on the same date, which reflects the date that we actually came together as a team to review them. The team is concerned that there is not enough time and they prefer to have already reviewed the care plan prior to the meeting and that updating the morning of the care plan meeting is not possible. My question is, do you think it is OK for them to be reviewing the quarterly care plan on the ARD date???? It just doesn't look right to me, but if it's ok I can deal with it to keep peace since they have been doing it that way since the dawn of time. Thanks for your replies!!

The day a discipline updates the care plan should be the date in the care plan, neither predated or backdated. Changes can be identified any time, during an MDS assm't, before or after. Why wait for the formal meeting to transpire? The actual IDCP face-to-face meeting is but a facility practice. An interdisciplinary care plan approach can occur during routine communication w/ staff, residents, and family members.

Developing care plans during the IDCP meeting is inefficient. Each discipline is supposed to be deemed the expert of his/her field. Therefore, he should initiate the plan of care beforehand and presents it to the team during the actual meeting. Make the changes there and then when needed.

Luckily, the regs do not endorse a specific routine to follow as long as the resident's needs are met. Hence, do what's best in utilizing staff time.