In our EMR there is a separate bereaved section where there is a plan of care with interventions and charting notes attached for that specific bereaved individual, but this is still within the hospice patient's chart. Perhaps some of your question stems from concerns about other family members requesting copies of a patient's chart and therefore gaining access to bereaved information as well? We are cautious and intentional about what we document in our bereavement notes. Our program is focused on supportive counseling – not therapy and that we are showing we are fulfilling the requirement to offer bereavement services to the family in an organized way. So we are documenting to demonstrate that there is an assessment, with a plan of care that coincides with that assessment, and then interventions to fulfill the plan. Those interventions, if they include counseling, do not have notes written in such detail that they would fulfill mental health requirements but rather show more generally need, themes, counselors approach, responses/outcomes, and future plans. Is this helpful?
Joelle Osterhaus, MSW, LCSW, LICSW, ACHP-SW (she/her)
Hospice & Palliative Care Psychosocial Services Manager
Kaiser Permanente Northwest
Continuing Care Services
2701 NW Vaughn St., Ste. 140
Portland, OR 97210-5344
Cell Phone: (503) 312-0819
Main Office: (503) 499-5200
Fax: (503) 499-5535
CCS Social Work Sharepoint Site (internal use): https://sp-cloud.kp.org/sites/NWCCSSocialWork/Shared%20Documents/Forms/AllItems.aspx
CCS Bereavement Program Sharepoint Site (internal use): https://sites.sp.kp.org/teams/nwreg/NWAmbulatoryCare/CCS/Hospice/SitePages/BS.aspx
CCS Dept Sharepoint Site (internal use): https://sites.sp.kp.org/teams/nwreg/NWAmbulatoryCare/CCS/SitePages/Home.aspx
Hospice Volunteer Website: : https://www.kpnwvolunteer.org/hospice
kp.org/thrive
07BB0AF4DFEF22D48f9e8a93df@domino.kp.org"> 
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Original Message------
Hi -
I am not sure I understand your questions. For us, each bereaved person has a chart in the EMR and we chart on them. Prior to death, we chart in the patient's chart. When we were seeing community clients, we had a chart for them in the EMR. All forms were in the EMR. These include assessments and plans of care. Your agency probably has a policy about privacy against employees looking at charts that don't pertain to them. Confidentiality should also be ensured.
Hope that helps,
Diane
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Diane Snyder Cowan, CHPCA,MA,MT-BC
Director of Western Reserve Grief Services
Hospice of the Western Reserve, Inc
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