NURSING HOME POLICIES & GUIDELINES S.B. 64 (S-2):
SUMMARY OF BILL
REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE
Senate Bill 64 (Substitute S-2 as reported)
Committee: Families, Seniors and Human Services
CONTENT
The bill would amend the Public Health Code to do the following:
-- Delete a requirement that the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) develop and adopt clinical process guidelines and compliance protocols with outcome measures for nursing homes in specific areas of care.
-- Require that a nursing home use peer-reviewed, evidence-based, nationally recognized clinical process guidelines or peer-reviewed, evidence-based best practice resources to develop and implement resident care policies and compliance protocols with measurable outcomes in specific practice areas.
-- Allow LARA to include training on new and revised peer-reviewed, evidence-based, nationally recognized clinical process guidelines or peer-reviewed, evidence-based best-practice resources in its joint provider and surveyor training sessions, rather than requiring the Department to include training on clinical process guidelines in those training sessions.
-- Require LARA to post on its website all peer-reviewed, evidence-based, nationally recognized clinical process guidelines and peer-reviewed, evidence-based best-practice resources used in a training session.
-- Delete a requirement that LARA instruct and train surveyors in the clinical process guidelines in citing deficiencies.
-- Require LARA's process for reviewing and authorizing the issuance of certain citations to assure the consistent and accurate application of Federal and State survey protocols, rather than assure that applicable concepts, clinical process guidelines, and other tools are used consistently, accurately, and effectively.
-- Require LARA to give grants and other awards to nursing homes to encourage the rapid implementation of policies and protocols from peer-reviewed, evidence-based, nationally recognized guidelines to promote performance excellence, rather than to encourage the rapid implementation or maintenance of guidelines developed by LARA.
-- Require LARA to maintain clear and uniform peer-reviewed, evidence-based best-practice resources, rather than develop guidelines, for the use and maintenance of bed rails and properly fitted mattresses.
-- Refer to a nursing home "resident" rather than a nursing home "patient".
The bill would take effect 90 days after its enactment.
MCL 333.20155 et al. Legislative Analyst: Patrick Affholter
FISCAL IMPACT
The bill would have a minor, but likely negative fiscal impact on the Bureau of Health Care Services (BHCS) within LARA, and no fiscal impact on local units of government. Under the bill, nursing homes, which are surveyed by the BHCS, would be required to use nationally recognized clinical process guidelines for clinical processes in those facilities. To the extent
that this would require the BHCS to change its internal policies and practices, which could include training staff, changing forms, and making other changes, the bill would introduce some new, but likely minor administrative costs to the BHCS. The bill also would require that resources relating to all of these guidelines be posted on LARA's website, which would introduce additional minor administrative costs. These costs would be borne by existing resources and would likely be one-time in nature.
Date Completed: 4-13-15 Fiscal Analyst: Josh Sefton
This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.