Parkside Homes is a Continuing Care Retirement Community.

Our compliance program covers the compliance issues, laws, regulations and guidelines that are relevant to a provider of senior services including residential, assisted living/personal care and skilled nursing services.

Our Code of Conduct is a shared responsibility that applies to every person at every level of our organization. This includes employees, the board of directors, volunteers, independent contractors, subcontractors and vendors who may provide or are involved with healthcare or billing.

As you read this summary of our Code of Conduct, the word Team Member will be used. This term includes all employees, vendors, contractors, volunteers and directors and officers providing care and services here at Parkside Homes.

Our Code of Conduct is supported and guided by policies and procedures. Any questions regarding our Code of Conduct or our policies and procedures can be directed to your immediate supervisor, the compliance liaison or any member of the Compliance Committee or the Compliance Officer.

For a copy of the entire Code of Conduct, please contact your Compliance Liaison:

Stephanie Bryant, CEO
Compliance Liaison
Phone: 620-947-2301
Fax: 620-947-5608
Email: stephanieb@parksideks.org

Our most important job is providing quality care to our residents. This means offering compassionate support to our residents and working toward the best possible outcomes while following all applicable rules and regulations.

Including:

• Honoring Resident Rights
• Zero tolerance for Abuse and Neglect (Any Team Member who abuses or neglects a resident is subject to termination as well as legal and criminal action. Abuse and neglect are to be reported to your supervisor immediately)
• Maintaining confidentiality of all resident information
• Respecting and protecting resident property to prevent loss, theft, damage and misuse
• Providing Quality Care
• Accurate assessments and care planning
• Providing only medically needed services
• Using current practice standards
• Accurate and timely documentation
• Measuring clinical outcomes
• Assuring our workforce has appropriate experience and expertise to provide services
• Quality Assurance programs to improve outcomes
• Committing to comprehensive medically needed services. The Medical Director will have oversight of physicians and other medical services.

The professional, responsible and ethical behavior of every Team Member reflects on the reputation of our organization and the services we provide. Whether you work directly with residents or in other areas that support resident services you are expected to maintain our standards of honesty, integrity and professional excellence everyday.

Including:

• Hiring the best qualified employees regardless of race, color, age, religion, national origin, gender identity, sexual orientation or disability
• Employee screening
• Making the workplace a safe, ethical and comfortable environment including a workplace free of substance abuse
• Assuring company privacy and assuring proprietary information is kept confidential
• Following the Business Courtesies and Gifts policy and the Conflict of Interest policy
• Reporting any actual or potential conflict of interests
• Using property appropriately and respecting property and copyright laws
• Ensuring appropriate use of computers which eliminates improper, unlawful activity, downloads or use of games on our community’s computers
• Being responsible as an organization to have honest and ethical vendor relations
• Assuring truth in our marketing and advertising.

We are obligated to follow federal, state and local laws that govern our business. We are all responsible for learning and staying current in order to perform our job responsibilities.

Including:

• Committing to honest and ethical billing and communications

• Avoiding any kickbacks for referrals

• Respecting copyright laws

• Operating with standards of financial practices and controls

• Dealing fairly with all who we come in contact with

•  Integrity and accuracy of all documentation

• Voluntarily disclosing when we find we are out of compliance

• Cooperating with government investigations.

  
  

Disciplinary action will be taken against any Team Member who fails to act in accordance with the Code of Conduct, the compliance program, supporting policies and procedures and applicable federal and state laws.

Our success depends on your commitment to act with integrity, both personally and as part of our organization.

You have a duty to report any problems you observe or perceive, regardless of your role.

Three Step Reporting Process:

First, talk to your supervisor. He or she is most familiar with laws, regulations and policies that relate to your work.

Second, if you are unable to talk to your supervisor, or have tried previously, seek out Human Resources.

Third, if you still have a concern, contact the Compliance Liaison or a member of the organization’s Compliance Committee.

If none of these resolve your issue you may call the COMPLIANCE LINE at 800-211-2713. Your calls are confidential and you may call ANONYMOUSLY if you choose.

1. Authority for collection of information including Social Security number (SSN):   

Sections 1819 (f), 1919 (f), and 1864 of the Social Security Act. 

Skilled nursing facilities for Medicare and Medicaid are required to conduct comprehensive, accurate, standardized, and reproducible assessments of each resident’s functional capacity and health status.  As of June 22, 1998 all skilled nursing and nursing facilities are required to establish a database of resident assessment information and to electronically transmit this information to the State.  The State is then required to transmit the data to the Federal Central Office Minimum Data Set (MDS) repository of the Health Care Financing Administration. 

This data is protected under the requirements of the Federal Privacy Act of 1974 and the MDS Long Term Care System of Records. 

2. Principal Purposes For Which Information Is Intended To Be Used: 

The information will be used to track changes in health and functional status over time for purposes of evaluating and improving the quality of care provided by nursing homes that participate in Medicare or Medicaid. Submission of MDS information may also be necessary for the nursing homes to receive reimbursement for Medicare services. 

3. Routine Uses: 

The primary use of this information is to aid in the administration of the survey and certification of Medicare / Medicaid Long-Term Care facilities and to improve the effectiveness and quality of care given in those facilities.  This system will also support regulatory, reimbursement, policy, and research functions.  This system will collect minimum amount of personal data needed to accomplish its stated purpose. 

The information collected will be entered into the Long-Term-Care Minimum Data Set (LTC MDS) system of records, System No. 09-70-1516.  Information from this system may be disclosed, under specific circumstances, to 1) a congressional office from the record of an individual in response to an inquiry from the congressional made at request of that individual; 2) the Federal Bureau of Census; 3) the Federal Department of Justice; 4) an individual or organization for research, evaluation, or epidemiological project related to the prevention of disease of disability, or the restoration of health; 5) contractors working for HCFA to carry out Medicare / Medicaid function, collating or analyzing data, or to detect fraud or abuse; 6) an agency of a State government for purposes of determining, evaluating and/or assessing overall or aggregate cost, effectiveness, and/or quality of health care services provided in the State; 7) another Federal agency to fulfill a requirement of a Federal statute that implements a health benefits program funded in whole or in part with Federal funds or to detect fraud or abuse; 8) Peer Review Organizations to perform Title XI or Title XVIII functions; 9) another entity that makes payment for or oversees administration of health care services for preventing fraud or abuse under specific conditions.  

4. Whether disclosure is mandatory or voluntary and effect on individual of not providing information: 

For nursing home residents residing in a certified Medicare / Medicaid nursing facility the requested information is mandatory because of the need to assess the effectiveness and quality of care given in certified facilities and to assess the appropriateness of provided services.  If a nursing home does not submit the required data it cannot be reimbursed for any Medicare / Medicaid services.