Residents requiring the use of oxygen | VA

Residents requiring the use of oxygen

Oxygen is truly vital to human life. Unfortunately, there are people who require supplemental oxygen therapy to survive on a day-to-day basis due to conditions such as; COPD, Pulmonary fibrosis, Pneumonia, sleep apnea, and many others. Because we work with seniors who have these comorbidities it is likely you will find that some of your residents require the use of supplemental oxygen. That state of Virginia does allow us to both accept and retain residents who require oxygen, although the care is regulated by DOSS. Check it out below:

22VAC40-73-700. Oxygen therapy.

When oxygen therapy is provided, the following safety precautions shall be met and maintained:

  1. The facility shall have a valid physician’s or other prescriber’s order that includes the following:
  2. The oxygen source, such as compressed gas or concentrators;
  3. The delivery device, such as a nasal cannula, reservoir nasal cannulas, or masks; and
  4. The flow rate deemed therapeutic for the resident.
  5. The facility shall post “No Smoking-Oxygen in Use” signs and enforce the smoking prohibition in any room of a building where oxygen is in use.
  6. The facility shall ensure that only oxygen from a portable source shall be used by residents when they are outside their rooms. The use of long plastic tether lines to the source of oxygen outside their rooms is not permitted.
  7. The facility shall make available to staff the emergency numbers to contact the resident’s physician or other prescriber and the oxygen vendor for emergency service or replacement.
  8. The facility shall demonstrate that all direct care staff responsible for assisting residents who use oxygen supplies have had training or instruction in the use and maintenance of resident-specific equipment.
  9. The facility shall include in its disaster preparedness plan a checklist of information required to meet the identified needs of those residents who require oxygen therapy including the following:
  10. Whether the facility has on-site, emergency generator capacity sufficient to safely operate oxygen concentrators efficiently.
  11. Whether in the absence of on-site generators the facility has agreements with vendors to provide emergency generators, including whether those generators will support oxygen concentrators.
  12. Where the facility maintains chart copies of each resident’s agreement, including emergency preparedness and backup plans, with his oxygen equipment and supply vendor for ready access in an emergency situation.
  13. How equipment and supplies will be transported in the event that residents must be evacuated to another location.

Top Takeaway:

  • The facility shall have a valid physician’s or other prescriber’s order that includes the following:
  1. The oxygen source, such as compressed gas or concentrators;
  2. The delivery device, such as a nasal cannula, reservoir nasal cannulas, or masks; and
  3. The flow rate deemed therapeutic for the resident.

If a resident in your facility requires the use of oxygen you must have a physician’s order. This is another situation where there is no grey area. If DOSS observes residents using oxygen supplementation without an order I can assure you they will issue you a citation.