Final answer:
Standards for long-term care documentation are primarily regulated by state and federal laws, which include HIPAA regulations and Medicare guidelines. These are supplemented by facility-specific policies and procedures that adhere to the established legal framework.
Step-by-step explanation:
What regulates standards for long-term care documentation? The correct answer is c. State and federal laws. These laws, as well as guidelines from both the HIPAA regulations and Medicare, form the framework within which facilities must operate. Beyond these, facility-specific policies and procedures can also have their own standards as long as they comply with state, federal, and other regulatory requirements. When considering what policies to develop to balance costs, patient quality of life, and privacy, three critical questions must be considered:
- How do we ensure treatments and diagnostics are cost-effective without compromising quality of care?
- What measures do we take to protect patient quality of life in decision-making?
- How do we maintain individual privacy in compliance with HIPAA while ensuring necessary health information is available?
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and other regulations like Medicare guidelines set important standards for health records management and efforts to control healthcare costs.