10-R276
2010 -- S 2889
Enacted 05/27/10
S E N A T E R E
S O L U T I O N
RESPECTFULLY
REQUESTING THE RHODE ISLAND DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TO COLLECT AND ANALYZE
INFORMATION CONCERNING COMPLAINTS ABOUT SERVICES PROVIDED BY HOME CARE AND HOME
NURSING CARE PROVIDERS AND REPORT ANNUALLY TO THE SENATE COMMITTEE ON HEALTH
AND HUMAN SERVICES
Introduced
By: Senators Perry,
Date Introduced: May 19, 2010
WHEREAS, The Rhode
Island Executive Office of Health and Human Services is
balancing the state's long-term care system to make home and community-based
services (HCBS)
more available to seniors and disabled adults in
conjunction with its implementation of the Global
Medicaid Waiver; and
WHEREAS, The policy of balancing HCBS has resulted in an increasing
number of
seniors and disabled adults receiving home nursing care and
home care services funded by
Medicaid; and
WHEREAS, There has been an increase in the number of entities seeking
to apply for
licenses to operate home nursing care and home care agencies,
in that between 2004 and 2008
there was a net increase of only 5 such licenses, while in
2009 alone there were 11 license
applications, of which 7 have been approved and 4 that are
pending; and
WHEREAS, The Office of
the State Long-Term Care ombudsman projects an increase of
more than two hundred percent in reports of alleged fiscal
exploitation of seniors or disabled
adults by employees of home nursing care and home care
providers in 2010; and
WHEREAS, There is a need to ensure the quality of services provided
by the state's
home nursing care and home care providers through a strong
survey, inspection, and complaint
monitoring program administered by the Department of Health's
Office of Health Facilities
Regulation; now, therefore be it
RESOLVED,
That this Senate of the State of
respectfully requests the Department of Health to report to the
Rhode Island Senate on a semi-
annual basis regarding the licensing and surveying of home
care and home nursing care
providers. This report will include:
(1)
The number of initial licensing surveys conducted; (2) The number of annual
surveys
conducted; (3) The number of complaints of financial
exploitation or abuse by staff reported; (4)
The number of complaints
substantiated and the outcome of actions taken; and (5) The
number of
providers referred to the Department of the Attorney General
for investigation of incidents of
financial exploitation or abuse on the part of a provider or
provider's staff; and (6) The number of
full-time equivalent staff assigned to survey home nursing care
and home care providers with the
sources of funding; and be it further
RESOLVED,
That the initial report should be submitted no later
than December 31,
2010; and be it further
RESOLVED,
That the Secretary of State be and he hereby is
authorized and directed to
transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to the
Director of the Rhode Island Department of
Health.
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LC02654
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