Getting families to sign financial agreements...who's responsible?

[sasha2lady]

Here is the scenario....I work in LTC.....when we get an admission alot of times the social workers will come hand the nurses including myself a piece of paper that they say we should get the family/ pt/ or POA to sign....I have seen the packet that is supposed to go with that piece of paper and its a financial agreement of some sort. I've never read it b/c they keep them in the social workers office and she is supposed to get these signatures and EXPLAIN this agreement to whoever signs it. I did get some signatures a few times but then I stopped and thought about it one day and was looking at that paper and realized that my name is on it too as a witness....and Since I cannot explain to someone else fully what it is..and what it means....I dont feel comfortable getting a signature so I havent done it in over a year now ...when they hand them to me I just put them in the social workers mailbox and let her do it. NOthing has ever been said to me for not doing it...but I am absolutely not signing my name to anything without knowing exactly what it is. So...what do you think? Who's responsibility is it to get this type of document signed and keep in mind its to do with finances and bill payment ......I take it as...if a new admits daughter or son signs this...then they have agreed to pay any fees and charges that medicare, medicaid or insurance doesnt pay......and they have taken on that responsibility for a particular facility such as this one.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

At other facilities where I've worked, the signature on the financial agreement form is usually witnessed and obtained by the business office manager, social worker, or admissions manager. Bedside nurses are not usually responsible for the financial aspects of a resident's stay in a LTC facility.

[sasha2lady]

Exactly...thats what I thought too and why I just started throwing those papers in the sw box. I dont want anyone to come back and say one day when they get a 50000 ltc bill >>well that nurse told me to sign it so i did...i didnt know what it was...i just signed it......b/c i wouldnt want to be in that situation either. And like i said...no one has said anything to me about it thus far so Im just gonna keep throwing those papers in the box. Makes sense to me lol.