Legal question

[rrolfz]

What are the legal rules (if any) as they pertain to the physician signing the Monthly Orders in LTC? My question is if the resident has more than one page of orders (as most do) does the physician, legally, have to sign EACH page or can he/she sign the last page (if pagination exists)?

OR, if anybody can point me to a legal site where this question (and others, as they pertain to orders) might be answered...THANKS!!!!

[Melanie28]

In the LTC facility where I work as a Unit Coordinator the MD has to sign each individual ORDER that is written and there is a last page for him to sign, along with the unit coordinator. Most of the MD's make rounds at least once a month or more often but some only come in every three months to do rounds and they may have 20-30 PAGES of individual orders to sign off. I have worked in a facility where the doc only had to sign the bottom of the order page but where I work now they say the MD must sign each order written that the state requires it due to medicaid/medicare guidlines.

[greg in mass]

I do not know what the law is to this. However, where I work the MD has to sign every page.