NC H727

Establishes a licensure by accreditation process allowing adult care homes licensed for at least 12 months to obtain Department of Health and Human Services licenses without further review if they obtain assisted living program accreditation from the Accreditation Commission for Health Care or other Department-approved accrediting bodies.

Exempts accredited adult care homes from routine state and county inspections and exempts them from the Medical Care Commission rating system, instead noting them as "accredited" on licensing records.

Requires accredited facilities to submit accreditation reports within 30 days of surveys, annual fire-safety inspections, sanitation inspections, and certification of qualified medical personnel to review resident charts and maintain quality measures.

Appropriates $1,500,000 in nonrecurring funds for 2021-2022 to establish a grant program providing up to 150 licensed adult care homes with funding to obtain three-year accreditation from approved accrediting bodies.

Appropriates $350,000 to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to develop quality outcome measures and conduct a three-year study comparing resident outcomes in accredited versus non-accredited adult care homes, with reports due December 1, 2022, 2023, and 2024.