Introduction
DODD’s Major Unusual Incident and Registry Unit offer oversight to boards of developmental disabilities and providers to aid in ensuring the health and welfare of individuals with disabilities who receive services. The occurrences are reported and monitored across the state of Ohio to recognize trends and patterns and establish causes and contributing elements needed for prevention planning. Both types of incidents require reporting methods and reporting periods. Every incident must be examined, but some need police or other agencies to get involved. Unusual incidents are not as severe as major unusual incidents. However, they need investigations to guarantee that all individuals are secure and to attempt to reduce the chances of the event repeating. The paper outlines the proper policy and procedure of incident reporting and investigation and thus, provides how to become an agent for the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities and satisfy individuals receiving services.
Discussion
Unusual Incidents
An unusual incident refers to an occurrence that involves an individual. It lacks consistency regarding policies and procedures, routine operations, or service plans and care of the person. Thus, it cannot be categorized as a major unusual incident. When it comes to recording, an incident report form is utilized (DoDD, 2021). All independent and agency providers must maintain a log of unusual events containing data concerning the incident, for instance, time, day, and notes about injuries. Additionally, they should contain the actions taken after becoming aware of the incident, contributing factors, and preventive measures.
Both independent and agency providers are required to review unusual incident logs more than once monthly to guarantee proper preventive measures were executed and to identify trends or patterns. The providers are needed to possess written policies and procedures for reporting and examining the occurrences. These must require direct service providers to report unusual happenings to designated staff within twenty-four hours of becoming aware of the UI (DoDD, 2021). Additionally, they have to identify at least one staff who can take or execute appropriate actions and include guidelines for investigations. The examinations need to identify what resulted in the incident. They should also bring a plan to prevent future occurrences for individuals in danger.
Major Unusual Incidents
Major unusual incidents are suspected, alleged, or real happenings of an incident when there is evidence to prove the health, as well as the welfare of an individual, may be negatively impacted or the person is at risk of harm. These types of happenings are reported such that they can be studied (DoDD, 2021). The exploration will aid in discovering the reason behind happening of the event and what can be done to prevent it from re-occurring. The main objective is to assist in keeping people secure.
Incident Reporting and Investigation
Reporting Process
The major unusual incidents ought to be reported immediately or within the twenty-four hours timeframe based on the type. All boards of developmental disabilities have designated individuals to receive the reports. The latter may be made online, in contact, or to country board employees. The Department of Developmental Disabilities and a major unusual incident reporting hotline at 1-866-313-6733 (DoDD, 2021). One must report occurrences within four hours after discovery comprising exploitation, accidental or suspicious death, misappropriation, peer-to-peer act, sexual abuse, verbal abuse, and neglect. Particular personnel is needed for the reporting task, including providers contracted, licensed, or certified to serve individuals with disabilities, county board, department staff, and anyone on a Medicaid waiver. After an occurrence, there is a major unusual incident reporting procedure that providers, DODD, and county boards need to follow.
Regarding the provider’s role, he or she is required to take immediate action to safeguard the safety and health of the individual. They must notify the person’s legal or next of kin on the day of the happening. A parent who does not qualify as the lawful guardian may only be notified with approval by the child or legal guardian. It is their responsibility to inform the county board instantly within a four-hour timeframe when the allegation is misappropriation, neglect, abuse, prohibited sex, or accidental death (DoDD, 2021). Additionally, they are advised to alert law enforcement or children’s services when alleged criminal activity occurs. Lastly, they must file a written incident report to the county board by 3 PM of the following working day.
It is the responsibility of the board to ensure or notify law enforcement if a potential crime has happened. They are obligated to alert the Children’s Services Board in the event suspected abuse is done on a person under twenty-one years. They as well notify the county board SSA of the happening on the same day and licensed residential provider if the occurrence is in the county board initiative. They are obligated to ensure that the legal guardians are informed about the event. They should submit a report on the Ohio Incident Tracking and Monitoring System by 5 PM the following day after notification (DoDD, 2021). The board communicates preliminary discoveries with a guardian, person, and provider within fourteen working days of an alleged physical or sexual abuse. It sends a summary letter to the residential provider and legal guardian five days after the case has been recommended for closure by the county board.
Individuals’ Satisfaction with Services Delivered
The DoDD is required to review every report to guarantee instant action is taken, notification is made, and incidents are categorized to ensure people are satisfied with the services delivered. The department evaluates cases before closure to ensure proper cause and contributing factor recognition and prevention plan development (DoDD, 2021). The department alerts the Ohio Department of Medicaid through an online incident reporting system. A major unusual incident and registry unit is an entity in the department that helps to hold individuals accountable as it aids in improving satisfaction levels for services delivered.
The major unusual incident, as well as the registry unit, consists of various areas such as regional managers, intake, and registry investigators. These individuals perform different tasks intending to ensure the people’s satisfaction with delivered services remains high. They as well reviews all entered incidents into the Ohio Incident Tracking and Monitoring System (DoDD, 2021). A regional manager conducts quality assurance evaluations of incident management via the system, performs site visits to Ohio State’s counties and providers of service as needed, and offers training and technical help throughout the year.
The Unit Registry investigators are in charge of the Department of Developmental Disabilities Abuser registry. They are obligated to conduct department-directed investigations and onsite visits to the state’s counties as needed. Registry investigators offer technical assistance and training to the county investigative agents (DoDD, 2021). Other statewide events comprise giving health and welfare alerts, conducting mortality review committee gatherings, and managing a complaint hotline.
Every agency provider and county board ensures that the staff employed in the indirect service positions are trained before direct contact. Those in non-direct service spots must undergo training within ninety days after being hired. After that, each employee shall receive major unusual incident training each year, consisting of an evaluation of health and welfare notifications since the previous year’s training. Every happening requires immediate action to protect people from more harm. Additionally, an investigation is required to establish the cause of the event and contributing factors and that a preventive plan is designed to minimize the chance of future happenings.
Summary
Major unusual incidents are reported to the local County Board of Developmental Disabilities, which afterward reports the data to the DoDD. County boards are in charge of immediate action, prevention planning, and investigations (DoDD, 2021). Upon identifying the events, the provider ensures that the individual receives instant and continuous medical attention for injuries. They remove employees from direct contact with any person when the employee is alleged to have been involved in abuse until the provider has determined that such removal is no longer needed. They perform every other necessary measure to protect the health as well as the welfare of people. They notify the county board within four hours of discovering the following incidents: exploitation, sexual abuse, neglect, misappropriation, and accidental death.
It is important to understand that a provider must complete a written report of happenings showing usual major or unusual incidents. It has to comprise the person’s name, address, date of occurrence, description, location, type of injuries, witnesses, and their statements, among others. The written report is submitted to the county board by 3 PM. As mentioned earlier, the latter enters preliminary data regarding the MUI in the incident tracking system, as advised by the department by 5 PM. If applicable, the provider makes proper notifications to other agencies, including law enforcement and Children’s Services.
Conclusion
The paper has outlined the proper policy and procedure of incident reporting and investigation and thus, provides how to become an agent for the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities and satisfy individuals receiving services. It has highlighted the different types of occurrences, that is, major unusual incidents and unusual incidents. On the one hand, major unusual incidents are suspected, alleged, or real happenings of an incident when there is evidence to prove health and welfare may be negatively impacted. These types of happenings are reported such that they can be studied. The exploration will aid in discovering the reason behind happening of the event and what can be done to prevent it from re-occurring. The main objective is to assist in keeping people secure.
On the other hand, an unusual incident refers to an occurrence that involves an individual. It lacks consistency when it comes to policies and procedures, routine operations, or service plans and care of the person. Thus, it cannot be categorized as a major unusual incident. Regarding recording such a happening, the incident report form is utilized. All independent and agency providers have to maintain a log of unusual events that consists of data concerning the incident, for instance, time, day, and notes about injuries. Additionally, they should contain the actions taken after becoming aware of the incident, contributing factors, and preventive measures.
Reference
DoDD. (2021). Department of Developmental Disabilities. Web.