Clinical Services

Using an interdisciplinary team approach, the Clinical Services Department staff conduct a variety of activities aimed at improving the health and well-being of clients. Nurses, physicians, psychologists, pharmacists, a dental coordinator, and a dentist are involved in:

• individual assessments of clients
• review of services being provided to clients by community professionals and direct consultation with these professionals
• consultations with service coordination staff on specific clients’ health issues
• participation in annual review meetings for clients who have health related issues and concerns
• review of requests for the use of psychoactive medications with clients
• review consents for sugery for adult clients who cannot give informed consent
• through the center’s Bio-ethics Committee, review of all requests from physicians or families to impose a “Do Not Resuscitate Order” for clients, and development of a written report with recommendations to the executive director for her action
• Mortality Review in all cases of client death

Medicaid Waiver. A major activity of Clinical Services is certification and annual recertification of clients for eligibility under the Medicaid Waiver program. This is a collaborative effort of Clinical Services staff and service coordinators. While Clinical
Services is responsible for managing the certification/recertification process, the service coordinators are responsible for ensuring that eligible clients’ IPPs and other documentation are written according to the federal requirements. The Medicaid Waiver program brings a substantial amount of federal funding into the developmental services system. Approximately 1,450 of Lanterman’s 6,000 clients are currently certified for the Waiver. This number represents a 100 percent increase from last year’s waiver enrollment for the Center. Statewide, the Medicaid Waiver program brings nearly $500 million into the Developmental Services system.

The Clinical Services Department also develops and manages special targeted projects intended, for example, to improve
dental health; prevent unnecessary hospitalizations; evaluate the use and handling of medications in liscensed residential homes; and provide necessary support to aging consumers to enable them to “age in place” in the community. For these projects, the Regional Center has partnered with organizations such as USC schools of Medicine and Dentistry; UCLA schools of Medicine, Dentistry, and Nursing; University of the Pacific Dental School; the Neuropsychiatric Institute at UCLA, and Childrens Hospital Los Angeles.