[Dysphagia] weekend coverage in acute care

[connorswa at ph.upmc.edu (Connors, William A.)]

yes

-----Original Message-----
From: LOBSTERPAM@aol.com [mailto:LOBSTERPAM@aol.com]
Sent: Tuesday, February 08, 2005 12:21 PM
To: Connors, William A.; "Morgan Jennie (RXP) Speech & Language Therapy"; "Patti Larghi"; dysphagia@b9.com
Subject: RE: [Dysphagia] weekend coverage in acute care

<< This seems quite a bit like inequitable discrimination and providing different levels of care to patients of similar levels and diagnoses which violates, in the U.S., acute care JCAHO regulations.   What say you all?

Our acute care weekend coverage was, as far I could determine, more aimed at reducing length of stay than anything else, and seemed (repeat, SEEMED) more economically driven than driven by regulatory forces. Is it discrimination if NO patients receive services on the weekend, especially if staffing is such that - as is often the case - 7 day a week coverage is difficult or impossible to find? 

psmith