What Is a Healthcare Ombudsman? Montana Guide for Facilities
In the late 1960s, several news stories about the mistreatment and neglect of residents at U.S. nursing homes came to light. In response to these concerns, Congress amended the Older Americans Act to establish a national Long-Term Care (LTC) Ombudsman Program. This required each state to protect the rights of LTC residents using the services of a local ombudsman. Montana in particular has expanded its program to address a variety of health and social service issues beyond long-term care.
For facility leaders in Maryland, your local ombudsman can be a valuable resource to help you improve your care services and maintain regulatory compliance. We’ll walk you through what to expect when working with an ombudsman to help you get the most out of their observations and feedback.
What Is the Montana Ombudsman Program?
While state programs are most commonly known for their long-term care ombudsman, Montana has several different ombudsman offices that address specific areas of health or social services. If you’re running a healthcare facility in Montana, you’ll most likely be interacting with one of the following three offices:
- Long-Term Care Ombudsman — Helps residents in long-term care settings, and their families, exercise their rights
- Mental Health Ombudsman — Represents the needs of individuals seeking or receiving mental health care and services
- Child and Family Ombudsman — Protects the rights of children and families by strengthening Montana’s child welfare system.
The Montana Office of the Governor oversees the Long-Term Care Ombudsman and Mental Health Ombudsman Offices, while the Child and Family Ombudsman is overseen by the state’s Department of Justice.
What Does a Montana Ombudsman Do?
The term ombudsman is defined as someone who objectively investigates and resolves complaints made by individuals against organizations. In a healthcare context, this typically involves the concerns that patients, residents, families, or staff have about the way facilities and providers are delivering care and other services.
However, there are many other duties carried out by an ombudsman. Montana’s offices each focus on a different health or social service area, but all ombudsmen are typically trained to:
- Receive, investigate, and address complaints against health centers or facilities
- Educate individuals, patients, residents, and the general public about their rights
- Empower individuals receiving health services to advocate for their own rights
- Identify gaps in state health or social services and advocate for policy changes
- Assist and provide information to individuals seeking health or social services
- Help healthcare/service workers or leaders comply with care regulations
Who Can Seek Help From an Ombudsman?
Anyone in Montana’s community at large who has concerns about their own rights or the rights of others receiving care services can contact an ombudsman for help. Examples of people who may want to contact their local ombudsman include:
- Individuals currently or previously receiving any care services overseen by an office
- Individuals or families seeking out care centers or services overseen by an office
- Facility leaders or staff who have questions about regulatory care compliance
- Individuals who want to report suspected mistreatment of themselves or others
Before contacting an ombudsman, remember to reach out to the office that best aligns with the services for which you’re seeking help. For example, nursing home staff confused about a resident’s visitation rights can get in touch with the Long-Term Care Ombudsman. Alternatively, an individual who needs help finding a mental health counselor for their loved one can reach out to the Montana Mental Health Ombudsman.
The contact information for each office can be found on their own respective websites below:
Tips for Facilities Undergoing Investigations
Your ombudsman is always available to provide general guidance, but they may need to conduct a more formal investigation if someone files a complaint about your facility. While this can feel like a stressful situation, keep in mind that your ombudsman is trained to objectively find a resolution for both you and your patients/residents.
But, what exactly should you do when being investigated by an ombudsman? Montana facility leaders can follow these tips to support a mutually beneficial process:
- Be communicative.The ombudsman will likely ask you to provide information to help them resolve the issue at hand. Be as open and transparent as possible to ensure that they’re informed about the situation and properly equipped to find a fair solution.
- Keep your staff in the loop. Check in with staff who were involved with the filed complaint. It’s important to keep them in the loop and provide any necessary information or education that would help them improve the way they deliver care.
- Act on advice accordingly. If the ombudsman identifies an issue at your facility, see this as an opportunity to improve the quality of your services. Follow their advice accordingly and make changes to prevent similar issues from occurring again.
Discover Practical Ways to Maintain Regulatory Compliance
Not sure how to implement action items given to you by your ombudsman? Montana facility leaders can count on us. IntelyCare’s free and professionally-vetted information hub gives you access to practical compliance tips whenever you need them.