Sec. 10.21.09.08. Documentation

A. Incidents.

(1) Any visitor behavior that leads to removal of the visitor from the premises shall be documented.

(2) Any incident that requires police intervention shall be reported and documented in accordance with facility procedures.

(3) Whenever a visitor is removed from the facility as a result of their disorderly manner, the treatment team shall review the incident and determine what restrictions, if any, shall be placed on the individual's future visiting privileges.

(4) If restrictions are placed on an individual's future visiting privileges, the restrictions shall be subject to the requirements identified in Regulation .08B of this chapter.

B. Patient Restriction.

(1) Visitation shall be restricted only for a medically justified reason, and may not be used as a means of punishment.

(2) The physician's order restricting patient visitation rights shall:

(a) Be written as an order in the patient's permanent record;

(b) Be subject to ongoing review;

(c) Automatically expire after 30 calendar days; and

(d) Be rewritten, if necessary, subject to the provisions of this subsection.

(3) The rationale for the restriction shall be noted in the patient's permanent record and signed by the physician.

(4) Restrictions shall be documented in the patient's individualized treatment plan as defined in COMAR 10.21.03.

(5) A member of the treatment team shall inform the patient in a timely fashion of the restriction, its rationale, and the length of time the restriction is in effect.

(6) With the consent of the patient, visitors shall be informed by the facility's Clinical Director, or the Clinical Director's designee, that a patient's visits are restricted and the length of time that the restriction is in effect.

(7) Upon request and with the consent of the patient, a visitor shall receive written notification of the restriction or restrictions.