Earlier this year, an executive order from President Barack Obama went into effect requiring hospitals to allow same-sex partner visitation.
This week, the Baylor Health Care System sent a memo to its employees explaining its new policy. A copy of the memo was obtained by Instant Tea. While the policy doesn’t specifically address LGBT families, it allows patients to define who their families are.
It doesn’t appear as though the new policy will have any impact on the Baylor-owned Tom Landry Fitness Center, which refuses to sell family memberships to same-sex couples. But here’s what the Health Care System wrote:
Beginning in January, Baylor began asking inpatients System-wide to specify who they consider “family” to support them during their stay. The goal: to implement open access in all inpatient units, outpatient departments, critical care units and emergency departments System-wide during FY11.
Why Open Access?
· Significant evidence-based literature supports the benefits of family presence for patients.
· Benefits include reduced anxiety, improved outcomes, reduced lengths of stay, better discharge planning and fewer re-hospitalizations.
· Having loved ones help manage the flow of information and learning heightens the patient’s confidence and compliance with recommendations.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid and The Joint Commission require that patients be afforded the right to have a support person during their stay unless it infringes on others’ rights or safety or is medically or therapeutically contraindicated.
What is the Support Person’s Role?
· Patients have the right to define a support person and decide how he or she will be involved in care, care planning and decision-making.
· Involvement may include participation in shift report, rounds and private consultation as long as confidential health information is shared only with the patient’s consent.
We appreciate your support at Baylor continues its journey toward a patient- and family-centered model and implements open access across the System.
