Mdedge Psychcast

Bradford L. Frank, MD, MPH, MBA, conducts a Masterclass on how to provide nursing home consultations for psychiatrists. The documents Dr. Frank refers to during this Masterclass are available at (https://bit.ly/3rWqfcK) Dr. Frank is a board-certified geriatric psychiatrist who provides consultations for more than 30 nursing homes in North Dakota. He has no disclosures. Take-home points Dr. Frank reviews practical information about documentation, prescribing, and diagnoses for psychiatric clinicians who treat individuals living in nursing homes. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has many rules and regulations governing the psychiatric treatment of individuals in nursing homes, including special mental status testing, a policy of gradual dose reduction, and restrictions on how long certain medications can be used. Documentation Even for geriatric patients who live in nursing homes, a full past psychiatric history, including substance abuse and social history, is essential to diagnosis and trea