HB 1365 Summary

• Creates criminal and civil immunity for hospital and nursing home health care workers who carry out directives from supervising practitioners or entities, unless they fail to comply with minimum standards of acceptable practice in good faith.

• Requires nursing home facilities to report common ownership relationships with staffing companies, management companies, rehabilitation companies, and other entities conducting business in the facility, with the Agency for Health Care Administration submitting annual reports to the Governor and Legislature by January 15.

• Establishes a personal care attendant training program requiring 16 hours of minimum education in residents' rights, disease control, emergency response, activities of daily living, vital signs, skin care, oxygen use, nutrition, and dementia care before direct resident contact.

• Revises long-term care reimbursement methodology by creating separate direct care and indirect care subcomponents of the patient care per diem rate, based on September 2016 cost reports, with specific percentages and ceilings for each component.

• Requires the Agency for Health Care Administration to add a quality metric to the Quality Incentive Program measuring direct care staff turnover and long-term retention to recognize how stable workforces improve nursing home resident care.

• Effective July 1, 2023.