Long-term care providers in California who participate in the state’s Medicare program must now post on their websites their daily resident census and nursing staff data, and that’s just the start of new requirements.
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) on Saturday signed into law 12 bills aimed at improving a wide range of services and protections for seniors 60 and older. One specifically targets long-term care facilities while others address issues in other kinds of senior care communities, continuing education for medical professionals and law enforcement training.
The Protect Seniors At All Costs Act — Senate Bill 1354 — requires skilled nursing facilities that accept Medi-Cal patients to post their daily resident census and nursing staff data on their websites or provide via telephone or email in response to inquiries. Federal law requires certain facilities make this information public, per the legislative summary of the bill. The new law makes clear that all Medi-Cal providers are required to provide the info.
The law also prohibits operators from discriminating against Medi-Cal recipients by requiring SNFs to provide the same level of care and services as would be provided to residents using private insurance or other means to pay for their care. The measure further prohibits facilities from evicting residents solely due to changing their payment method to Medi-Cal.
Representatives of LeadingAge California and the California Association of Health Facilities told McKnight’s Long-Term Care News they were neutral on the statute.
The legislative package that Newsom signed also included Senate Bill 639, which requires medical professionals who care for seniors to take continuing education courses in geriatric and dementia care. General internists and family physicians whose practices are composed of at least 25% of seniors 65 and older must have 20% of their continuing education credits related to geriatric care. Nurse practitioners and physician assistants now have those same requirements.
“As the number of individuals living with Alzheimer’s and dementia increases, it is imperative that we meet the needs of those living with cognitive impairment with empathy and compassion,” Meghan Rose, LeadingAge California general counsel and Chief Government Affairs Officer, said in a statement.
Assembly Bill 2541, also signed into law Saturday, requires law enforcement to train on best practices when responding to calls about people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and related dementias who have wandered away from their caregivers or care facility.
