Partner With Us Policy

                                                                             Jan 20, 2022

As part of our COVID-19 pandemic response, UMMS has created a new opportunity for Designated Support Persons (DSPs) to work with the clinical team through a program called Partner With Us. A DSP is an individual chosen by a patient to be physically present and provide support to the patient while they are admitted to the hospital. This person may be a friend, family member, personal care assistant, or disability service provider, and their presence is a CMS-mandated patient right. Partner With Us recognizes the importance of DSPs in the recovery of our patients and allows DSPs to assist in the patient’s care while they are admitted to an UMMS facility.

The goals of Partner With Us are to engage family members in the patient’s care, better prepare care partners for discharge and reduce readmission, reduce adverse events and increase safety within our facilities, and improve communication and collaboration among staff, patients, and family members by creating a therapeutic alliance.

Please review the following FAQs to learn more about Partner With Us and to determine whether this program might be appropriate for your patients and their DSPs.

Click here to review the COVID-19 Partner With Us Policy in PolicyStat.

FAQs

How does a Designated Support Person (DSP) learn about the option to participate in Partner With Us?

Upon admission, a nurse or other team member will notify the DSP about the program and invite them to participate using a provided script.

What types of patient care activities can DSPs help with as part of Partner With Us?

The bedside nurse or another member of the patient care team will assess and then match the DSP’s desired activities to their level of ability and the patient’s specific needs. Examples of activities include putting on lip balm, helping with incentive spirometry, applying lotion, and giving a hand or foot massage.

Will DSPs receive any education on how to complete patient care activities?

The patient care team will teach DSPs how to complete the activities that they have agreed to help with and will document completion of this education with a brief note in the patient’s chart.

Will participating DSPs need to document the tasks they complete?

There is an optional worksheet that the DSP can use to document the date and time they have completed an activity. This worksheet is only for the DSP’s reference and will not be collected by the patient care team.

How will DSPs participating in Partner With Us be identified?

DSPs will be provided a clip-on badge branded with “Partners in Care” to indicate their participation in the Partner With Us program.