Skilled Nursing Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)
Licensed Practical Nursing (LPN) services must be within the scope of West Virginia’s Nurse Practice Act, ordered by a physician, and provided by an LPN under the supervision and monitoring of an RN actively licensed to practice in the State. LPN services are available to people who are aged 21 or older, as children with significant medical issues can access Private Duty Nursing via the Medicaid State Plan.
Nursing services include but are not limited to:
- Verifying and documenting physician orders if only RNs or LPNs are administering medication
- Order medications per physician orders;
- Reviewing and verifying physician orders are current, properly documented and communicated to direct care staff and others per IDDW provider policy;
Direct nursing care including medication/treatment administration
- Review of Medication Administration Records (MARs), medication storage and documentation (when no AMAPs are administering medication);
- Review scheduled medical appointments before occurrence and communicate this information to others per IDDW provider policy;
- Facilitate procurement of and monitoring of medical equipment;
- Train persons on individualized medical and health needs, such as wound-care, diets, etc;
- Collect medical data for RN assessment (seizure logs, sleep logs, food logs, etc.);
- Obtain informed consent;
- Update emergency sheets; and
- Consult with RN regarding person specific issues when a medical need arises.
Skilled Nursing Licensed Registered Nurse (RN)
Registered Nurse (RN) services listed in the service plan are within the scope of the West Virginia Nurse Practice Act, ordered by a physician and are provided by a licensed RN licensed to practice in the State. RN Skilled Nursing services are services which only a licensed RN can perform. The service must be provided by a RN under the direction of a physician. The RN may perform clinical supervision of LPN and AMAP staff.
The RN may train staff in the person’s home, Unlicensed Residential Home, and licensed day program settings on the person’s specific medical needs and related interventions as recommended by the person’s treatment team. The RN may attend and participate in the IPP and the annual functional assessment for eligibility conducted by UMC based upon the person or their legal representative’s request. The RN may complete assessments if a person’s medical need warrant an individualized assessment. The RN must complete a summary of services provided if necessitated by a change in the person’s medical needs, such as Emergency Room visits, medication changes, diagnostic changes, new treatments recommended by physician, etc. The RN may consult with LPNs who are providing direct care when an urgent, person-specific medical need arises.
