2020 -- H 8146 | |
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LC005642 | |
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND | |
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY | |
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2020 | |
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A N A C T | |
RELATING TO HEALTH AND SAFETY -- NURSING HOME STAFFING AND QUALITY | |
CARE ACT | |
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Introduced By: Representative David J. Place | |
Date Introduced: November 24, 2020 | |
Referred To: House Finance | |
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: | |
1 | SECTION 1. Chapter 23-17.5 of the General Laws entitled "Rights of Nursing Home |
2 | Patients" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following sections: |
3 | 23-17.5-32. Minimum staffing levels at state facilities. |
4 | (a) Each state facility shall have the necessary nursing service personnel (licensed and non- |
5 | licensed) in sufficient numbers on a twenty-four (24) hour basis, to assess the needs of residents, |
6 | to develop and implement resident care plans, to provide direct resident care services, and to |
7 | perform other related activities to maintain the health, safety and welfare of residents. The state |
8 | facility shall have a registered nurse on the premises twenty-four (24) hours a day. |
9 | (b) For purposes of §§ 23-17.5-32 through 23-17.5-35, the following definitions shall |
10 | apply: |
11 | (1) "Direct caregiver" means a registered nurse, a licensed practical nurse, a medication |
12 | technician, and a certified nurse assistant. |
13 | (2) "Hours of direct nursing care" means the actual hours of work performed per patient |
14 | per day by a direct caregiver. |
15 | (3) "State facility" means any facility operated through the state of Rhode Island |
16 | department of behavioral healthcare, development disabilities and hospitals (BHDDH) providing |
17 | long-term nursing home or hospital level care, or established and operated pursuant to the |
18 | provisions of chapter 24 of title 30. |
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1 | (c) Commencing on October 1, 2021, state facilities providing nursing services shall |
2 | provide a minimum daily average of four and one-tenth (4.1) hours of direct nursing care per |
3 | resident, per day, of which at least two and eight-tenths (2.8) hours shall be provided by certified |
4 | nurse assistants. |
5 | (d) Director of nursing hours and nursing staff hours spent on administrative duties or non- |
6 | direct caregiving tasks are excluded and may not be counted toward compliance with the minimum |
7 | staffing hours requirement in subsections (a) and (c) of this section. |
8 | (e) The minimum hours of direct nursing care requirements shall be minimum standards |
9 | only. State facilities providing nursing services shall employ and schedule additional staff as |
10 | needed to ensure quality resident care based on the needs of individual residents and to ensure |
11 | compliance with all relevant state and federal staffing requirements. |
12 | (f) The department shall promulgate rules and regulations to amend the Rhode Island code |
13 | of regulations to implement these minimum staffing requirements on or before October 1, 2021. |
14 | (g) On or before January 1, 2023, and every five (5) years thereafter, the department shall |
15 | consult with resident or patient advocates and recognized collective bargaining agents to determine |
16 | the sufficiency of the staffing standards provided in this section and may promulgate rules and |
17 | regulations to increase the minimum staffing ratios to adequate levels. |
18 | 23-17.5-33. Minimum staffing level compliance and enforcement program. |
19 | (a) Compliance determination. |
20 | (1) The department shall submit proposed rules and regulations for adoption by January 1, |
21 | 2022, establishing a system for determining compliance with minimum staffing requirements set |
22 | forth in § 23-17.5-32. |
23 | (2) Compliance shall be determined quarterly by comparing the number of hours provided |
24 | per resident, per day using the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' payroll-based journal |
25 | and the state facility's daily census, as self-reported by the state facility to the department on a |
26 | quarterly basis. |
27 | (3) The department shall use the quarterly payroll-based journal and the self-reported |
28 | census to calculate the number of hours provided per resident, per day and compare this ratio to the |
29 | minimum staffing standards required under § 23-17.5-32. Discrepancies between job titles |
30 | contained in § 23-17.5-32 and the payroll-based journal shall be addressed by rules and regulations. |
31 | (b) Monetary penalties. |
32 | (1) The department shall submit proposed rules and regulations for adoption on or before |
33 | January 1, 2022, establishing monetary penalties for state facilities not in compliance with |
34 | minimum staffing requirements set forth in § 23-17.5-32. |
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1 | (2) No monetary penalty may be issued for noncompliance during the implementation |
2 | period, which shall extend from October 1, 2021, through December 31, 2021. If a state facility is |
3 | found to be noncompliant during the implementation period, the department shall provide a written |
4 | notice identifying the staffing deficiencies and require the state facility to provide a sufficiently |
5 | detailed correction plan to meet the statutory minimum staffing levels. |
6 | (3) Monetary penalties shall be imposed beginning on January 1, 2022, and quarterly |
7 | thereafter and shall be based on the latest quarter for which the department has data. |
8 | (4) Monetary penalties shall be established based on a formula that calculates on a daily |
9 | basis the cost of wages and benefits for the missing staffing hours. |
10 | (5) All notices of noncompliance shall include the computations used to determine |
11 | noncompliance and establishing the variance between minimum staffing ratios and the department's |
12 | computations. |
13 | (6) The penalty for the first offense shall be two hundred percent (200%) of the cost of |
14 | wages and benefits for the missing staffing hours. The penalty shall increase to two hundred fifty |
15 | percent (250%) of the cost of wages and benefits for the missing staffing hours for the second |
16 | offense and three hundred percent (300%) the cost of wages and benefits for the missing staffing |
17 | hours for the third and all subsequent offenses. |
18 | (7) For state facilities that have an offense in three (3) consecutive quarters, EOHHS shall |
19 | deny any further Medicaid Assistance payments with respect to all individuals entitled to benefits |
20 | who are admitted to the state facility on or after January 1, 2022. |
21 | (c)(1) The penalty shall be imposed regardless of whether the state facility has committed |
22 | other violations of this chapter during the same period that the staffing offense occurred. |
23 | (2) The penalty may not be waived except as provided in subsection (c)(3) of this section, |
24 | but the department shall have the discretion to determine the gravity of the violation in situations |
25 | where there is no more than a ten percent (10%) deviation from the staffing requirements and make |
26 | appropriate adjustments to the penalty. |
27 | (3) The department is granted discretion to waive the penalty when unforeseen |
28 | circumstances have occurred that resulted in call-offs of scheduled staff. This provision shall be |
29 | applied no more than six (6) times per quarter. |
30 | (4) Nothing in this section diminishes a state facility's right to appeal to the department of |
31 | administration for an administrative hearing. |
32 | (d)(1) Beginning January 1, 2022, pursuant to rules and regulations established by the |
33 | department, funds that are received from financial penalties shall be used for technical assistance |
34 | or specialized direct care staff training. |
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1 | (2) The assessment of a penalty does not supplant the state's investigation process or |
2 | issuance of deficiencies or citations under title 23. |
3 | (3) A notice of penalty assessment shall be prominently posted in the state facility and |
4 | included on the department's website. |
5 | 23-17.5-34. Nursing staff posting requirements at state facilities. |
6 | (a) Each state facility providing nursing services shall post its daily direct care nurse staff |
7 | levels by shift in a public place within the state facility that is readily accessible to and visible by |
8 | residents, employees and visitors. The posting shall be accurate to the actual number of direct care |
9 | nursing staff on duty for each shift per day. The posting shall be in a format prescribed by the |
10 | director, to include: |
11 | (1) The number of registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, certified nursing assistants, |
12 | and medication technicians; |
13 | (2) The number of temporary, outside agency nursing staff; |
14 | (3) The resident census as of twelve o'clock (12:00) a.m.; and |
15 | (4) Documentation of the use of unpaid eating assistants (if utilized by the state facility on |
16 | that date). |
17 | (b) The posting information shall be maintained on file by the state facility for no less than |
18 | three (3) years and shall be made available to the public upon request. |
19 | (c) Each state facility providing nursing services shall report the information compiled |
20 | pursuant to section (a) of this section and in accordance with department of health regulations to |
21 | the department of health on a monthly basis in an electronic format prescribed by the director. The |
22 | director shall make this information available to the public on a quarterly basis on the department |
23 | of health website, accompanied by a written explanation to assist members of the public in |
24 | interpreting the information reported pursuant to this section. |
25 | (d) In addition to the daily direct nurse staffing level reports, each state facility providing |
26 | nursing services shall post the following information in a legible format and in a conspicuous place |
27 | readily accessible to and visible by residents, employees and visitors of the state facility: |
28 | (1) The minimum number of state facility direct care staff per shift that is required to |
29 | comply with the minimum staffing level requirements in § 23-17.5-32; and |
30 | (2) The telephone number or Internet website that a resident, employee or visitor of the |
31 | state facility may use to report a suspected violation by the state facility of a regulatory requirement |
32 | concerning staffing levels and direct patient care. |
33 | (e) No state facility shall discharge or in any manner discriminate or retaliate against any |
34 | resident of any state facility, or any relative, guardian, conservator or sponsoring agency thereof or |
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1 | against any employee of any state facility or against any other person because the resident, relative, |
2 | guardian, conservator, sponsoring agency, employee or other person has filed any complaint or |
3 | instituted or caused to be instituted any proceeding under this chapter, or has testified or is about |
4 | to testify in any such proceeding or because of the exercise by the resident, relative, guardian, |
5 | conservator, sponsoring agency, employee or other person on behalf of himself, herself or others |
6 | of any right afforded by §§ 23-17.5-32, 23-17.5-33 and 23-17.5-34. Notwithstanding any other |
7 | provision of law to the contrary, any state facility that violates any provision of this section shall: |
8 | (1) Be liable to the injured party for treble damages; and |
9 | (2)(i) Reinstate the employee, if the employee was terminated from employment in |
10 | violation of any provision of this section, or |
11 | (ii) Restore the resident to his or her living situation prior to such discrimination or |
12 | retaliation, including his or her housing arrangement or other living conditions within the state |
13 | facility, as appropriate, if the resident's living situation was changed in violation of any provision |
14 | of this section. For purposes of this section, "discriminate or retaliate" includes, but is not limited |
15 | to, the discharge, demotion, suspension or any other detrimental change in terms or conditions of |
16 | employment or residency, or the threat of any such action. |
17 | (f)(1) The state facility shall prepare an annual report showing the average daily direct care |
18 | nurse staffing level for the state facility by shift and by category of nurse to include: |
19 | (i) Registered nurses; |
20 | (ii) Licensed practical nurses; |
21 | (iii) Certified nursing assistants and medication technicians; |
22 | (iv) The use of registered and licensed practical nurses and certified nursing assistant staff |
23 | from temporary placement agencies; and |
24 | (v) The nurses and certified nurse assistant turnover rates. |
25 | (2) The annual report shall be submitted on or after September 30, annually. Annual reports |
26 | shall be submitted in a format prescribed by the director. |
27 | (g) The information on nurse staffing shall be available to the public, both in printed form |
28 | and on the department's website. |
29 | (h) The director of nurses may act as a charge nurse only when the state facility provides |
30 | thirty (30) beds or less. |
31 | (i) Whenever the department determines, in the course of inspecting a state facility, that |
32 | additional staffing is necessary on any residential area to provide adequate nursing care and |
33 | treatment or to ensure the safety of residents, the department shall require the state facility to |
34 | provide such additional staffing and any or all of the following actions shall be taken to enforce |
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1 | compliance with the determination of the department: |
2 | (1) The state facility shall be cited for a deficiency and shall be required to augment its |
3 | staff within ten (10) days in accordance with the determination of the department; |
4 | (2) If failure to augment staffing is cited, the state facility shall be required to curtail |
5 | admission to the state facility; |
6 | (3) If a continued failure to augment staffing is cited, the state facility shall be subjected to |
7 | an immediate compliance order to increase the staffing, in accordance with § 23-1- 21; or |
8 | (4) The sequence and inclusion or non-inclusion of the specific sanctions may be modified |
9 | in accordance with the severity of the deficiency in terms of its impact on the quality of resident |
10 | care. |
11 | (j) No nursing staff of any state facility shall be regularly scheduled for double shifts. |
12 | (k) A state facility that fails to comply with the provisions of this chapter, or any rules or |
13 | regulations adopted pursuant thereto, shall be subject to a penalty as determined by the department. |
14 | 23-17.5-35. Staffing plan at state facilities. |
15 | (a) At each state facility there shall be a master plan of the staffing pattern for providing |
16 | twenty-four (24) hour direct care nursing service; for the distribution of direct care nursing |
17 | personnel for each floor and/or residential area; for the replacement of direct care nursing |
18 | personnel; and for forecasting future needs. |
19 | (1) The staffing pattern shall include provisions for registered nurses, licensed practical |
20 | nurses, certified nursing assistants, and medication technicians and other personnel as required. |
21 | (2) The number and type of nursing personnel shall be based on resident care needs and |
22 | classifications as determined for each residential area. Each state facility shall be responsible to |
23 | have sufficient qualified staff to meet the needs of the residents. |
24 | (3) At least one individual who is certified in basic life support shall be available twenty- |
25 | four (24) hours a day within the state facility. |
26 | (4) Each state facility shall include direct caregivers, including at least one certified nursing |
27 | assistant, in the process to create the master plan of the staffing pattern and the federally mandated |
28 | facility assessment. If the certified nursing assistants in the state facility are represented under a |
29 | collective bargaining agreement, the bargaining unit shall coordinate voting to allow the certified |
30 | nursing assistants to select their representative. |
31 | SECTION 2. Section 40-8-19 of the General Laws in Chapter 40-8 entitled "Medical |
32 | Assistance" is hereby amended to read as follows: |
33 | 40-8-19. Rates of payment to nursing facilities. |
34 | (a) Rate reform. |
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1 | (1) The rates to be paid by the state to nursing facilities licensed pursuant to chapter 17 of |
2 | title 23, and certified to participate in Title XIX of the Social Security Act for services rendered to |
3 | Medicaid-eligible residents, shall be reasonable and adequate to meet the costs that must be |
4 | incurred by efficiently and economically operated facilities in accordance with 42 U.S.C. § |
5 | 1396a(a)(13). The executive office of health and human services ("executive office") shall |
6 | promulgate or modify the principles of reimbursement for nursing facilities in effect as of July 1, |
7 | 2011, to be consistent with the provisions of this section and Title XIX, 42 U.S.C. § 1396 et seq., |
8 | of the Social Security Act. |
9 | (2) The executive office shall review the current methodology for providing Medicaid |
10 | payments to nursing facilities, including other long-term-care services providers, and is authorized |
11 | to modify the principles of reimbursement to replace the current cost-based methodology rates with |
12 | rates based on a price-based methodology to be paid to all facilities with recognition of the acuity |
13 | of patients and the relative Medicaid occupancy, and to include the following elements to be |
14 | developed by the executive office: |
15 | (i) A direct-care rate adjusted for resident acuity; |
16 | (ii) An indirect-care rate comprised of a base per diem for all facilities; |
17 | (iii) A rearray of costs for all facilities every three (3) years beginning October, 2015, that |
18 | may or may not result in automatic per diem revisions; |
19 | (iv) Application of a fair-rental value system; |
20 | (v) Application of a pass-through system; and |
21 | (vi) Adjustment of rates by the change in a recognized national nursing home inflation |
22 | index to be applied on October 1 of each year, beginning October 1, 2012. This adjustment will not |
23 | occur on October 1, 2013, October 1, 2014, or October 1, 2015, but will occur on April 1, 2015. |
24 | The adjustment of rates will also not occur on October 1, 2017, October 1, 2018, and October 1, |
25 | 2019. Effective July 1, 2018, rates paid to nursing facilities from the rates approved by the Centers |
26 | for Medicare and Medicaid Services and in effect on October 1, 2017, both fee-for-service and |
27 | managed care, will be increased by one and one-half percent (1.5%) and further increased by one |
28 | percent (1%) on October 1, 2018, and further increased by one percent (1%) on October 1, 2019. |
29 | The inflation index shall be applied without regard for the transition factors in subsections (b)(1) |
30 | and (b)(2). For purposes of October 1, 2016, adjustment only, any rate increase that results from |
31 | application of the inflation index to subsections (a)(2)(i) and (a)(2)(ii) shall be dedicated to increase |
32 | compensation for direct-care workers in the following manner: Not less than 85% of this aggregate |
33 | amount shall be expended to fund an increase in wages, benefits, or related employer costs of direct- |
34 | care staff of nursing homes. For purposes of this section, direct-care staff shall include registered |
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1 | nurses (RNs), licensed practical nurses (LPNs), certified nursing assistants (CNAs), certified |
2 | medical technicians, housekeeping staff, laundry staff, dietary staff, or other similar employees |
3 | providing direct-care services; provided, however, that this definition of direct-care staff shall not |
4 | include: (i) RNs and LPNs who are classified as "exempt employees" under the Federal Fair Labor |
5 | Standards Act (29 U.S.C. § 201 et seq.); or (ii) CNAs, certified medical technicians, RNs, or LPNs |
6 | who are contracted, or subcontracted, through a third-party vendor or staffing agency. By July 31, |
7 | 2017, nursing facilities shall submit to the secretary, or designee, a certification that they have |
8 | complied with the provisions of this subsection (a)(2)(vi) with respect to the inflation index applied |
9 | on October 1, 2016. Any facility that does not comply with terms of such certification shall be |
10 | subjected to a clawback, paid by the nursing facility to the state, in the amount of increased |
11 | reimbursement subject to this provision that was not expended in compliance with that certification. |
12 | (3) Commencing on October 1, 2021, any rate increase that results from application of the |
13 | inflation index to subsections (a)(2)(i) and (a)(2)(ii) of this section or any other rate increase shall |
14 | be dedicated to increase compensation for all eligible direct-care workers in the following manner |
15 | on October 1, of each year. For purposes of this subsection, compensation increases are limited to |
16 | base salary or hourly wage increases and associated payroll tax increases for eligible direct-care |
17 | workers. This application of the inflation index shall apply for Medicaid reimbursement in nursing |
18 | facilities for both managed care and fee-for-service. For purposes of this subsection, direct-care |
19 | staff shall include registered nurses (RNs), licensed practical nurses (LPNs), certified nursing |
20 | assistants (CNAs), certified medication technicians, housekeeping staff, laundry staff, dietary staff |
21 | or other similar employees providing direct-care services; provided, however that this definition of |
22 | direct-care staff shall not include: |
23 | (i) RNs and LPNs who are classified as "exempt employees" under the federal Fair Labor |
24 | Standards Act (29 U.S.C. § 201 et seq.); or |
25 | (ii) CNAs, certified medication technicians, RNs or LPNs who are contracted or |
26 | subcontracted through a third-party vendor or staffing agency. |
27 | (4)(i) By July 31, 2021, and July 31 of each year thereafter, nursing facilities shall submit |
28 | to the secretary or designee a certification that they have complied with the provisions of subsection |
29 | (a)(2)(vii) of this section with respect to the inflation index applied on October 1. The executive |
30 | office of health and human services (EOHHS) shall create the certification form which nursing |
31 | facilities must complete with information on how each individual eligible employee's compensation |
32 | increased, including information regarding hourly wages prior to the increase and after the |
33 | compensation increase, hours paid after the compensation increase and associated increased payroll |
34 | taxes. A collective bargaining agreement can be used in lieu of the certification form for represented |
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1 | employees. All data reported on the compliance form is subject to review and audit by EOHHS. |
2 | The audits may include field or desk audits, and facilities may be required to provide additional |
3 | supporting documents including, but not limited to, payroll records. |
4 | (ii) Any facility that does not comply with the terms of certification shall be subjected to a |
5 | clawback and twenty-five percent (25%) penalty of the unspent or impermissibly spent funds, paid |
6 | by the nursing facility to the state, in the amount of increased reimbursement subject to this |
7 | provision that was not expended in compliance with that certification. |
8 | (b) Transition to full implementation of rate reform. For no less than four (4) years after |
9 | the initial application of the price-based methodology described in subsection (a)(2) to payment |
10 | rates, the executive office of health and human services shall implement a transition plan to |
11 | moderate the impact of the rate reform on individual nursing facilities. Said transition shall include |
12 | the following components: |
13 | (1) No nursing facility shall receive reimbursement for direct-care costs that is less than |
14 | the rate of reimbursement for direct-care costs received under the methodology in effect at the time |
15 | of passage of this act; for the year beginning October 1, 2017, the reimbursement for direct-care |
16 | costs under this provision will be phased out in twenty-five-percent (25%) increments each year |
17 | until October 1, 2021, when the reimbursement will no longer be in effect; and |
18 | (2) No facility shall lose or gain more than five dollars ($5.00) in its total, per diem rate the |
19 | first year of the transition. An adjustment to the per diem loss or gain may be phased out by twenty- |
20 | five percent (25%) each year; except, however, for the years beginning October 1, 2015, there shall |
21 | be no adjustment to the per diem gain or loss, but the phase out shall resume thereafter; and |
22 | (3) The transition plan and/or period may be modified upon full implementation of facility |
23 | per diem rate increases for quality of care-related measures. Said modifications shall be submitted |
24 | in a report to the general assembly at least six (6) months prior to implementation. |
25 | (4) Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, for the twelve-month (12) period beginning |
26 | July 1, 2015, Medicaid payment rates for nursing facilities established pursuant to this section shall |
27 | not exceed ninety-eight percent (98%) of the rates in effect on April 1, 2015. Consistent with the |
28 | other provisions of this chapter, nothing in this provision shall require the executive office to restore |
29 | the rates to those in effect on April 1, 2015, at the end of this twelve-month (12) period. |
30 | SECTION 3. This act shall take effect upon passage. |
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LC005642 | |
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EXPLANATION | |
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL | |
OF | |
A N A C T | |
RELATING TO HEALTH AND SAFETY -- NURSING HOME STAFFING AND QUALITY | |
CARE ACT | |
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1 | This act would mandate minimum staffing levels and standards for quality care for state |
2 | facilities and their residents with violations subject to monetary penalties, and provide wage |
3 | increases for all nursing homes subject to the rate of inflation. |
4 | This act would take effect upon passage. |
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LC005642 | |
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