Each member of the monitoring team is carefully selected to ensure alignment of their expertise with the needs of the physician being monitored including specialty type. LifeGuard continually seeks to add monitors to its teams, for more information about becoming a monitor, please contact the LifeGuard Program.
Quality of Care Assessment
LifeGuard provides medical licensure boards and healthcare organizations with quality of care assessment services for physicians. The program uses several clinical standard of care assessment tools to measure clinical competence including, but not limited to,
decision-making skills and medical knowledge. The goal is to ensure that the physician is practicing safely and attaining the highest standard of clinical excellence and complying with state/federal regulatory requirements.
What to expect
For the Quality of Care Assessment and in preparation for Practice Monitoring, our team of evaluators will request documentation and conduct on-site observations at the practice when appropriate. A LifeGuard team member will evaluate record keeping processes, documentation, chart structure, filing and archiving processes. While on-site they will observe day-to-day practices, patient flow, clinical decision making and medical procedures.
Assessments and plans for remediation will be completed with in-person reviews, followed by supportive clinical strategies, protocols, and practices that can be integrated moving forward. Specific recommendations can include enhancement in medical record processes, participation in tailored medical education (CME), and mentoring.
LifeGuard offers comprehensive CME accredited courses for: Medical Records Documentation, Pharmacology, Communication and Controlled Substance and Opioid Prescribing. Participation in these courses, or a similar program, may be part of a recommended remediation plan when applicable. All evaluations and monitoring plans are based on individualized circumstances and situations. Additional assessment tools are available based on the concerns identified by the referral source.
Who should consider LifeGuard's Quality of Care Assessment AND/OR Practice Monitoring Program
Physicians, healthcare organizations and state licensing boards who need to ensure that quality of care is meeting national guidelines should consider this program. These programs provide frameworks and guidance through which physicians can identify opportunities to enhance their clinical performance, improve patient safety and ensure compliance with quality of care standards and state/federal regulatory requirements.