S 2694 — Nursing Home Improvement and Accountability Act of 2021

(a) Definition of facility In this section, the term “facility” means— (1) a skilled nursing facility (as defined in section 1395i–3(a) of this title); or (2) a nursing facility (as defined in section 1396r(a) of this title). (b) Effective compliance and ethics programs (1) Requirement On or after the date that is 36 months after March 23, 2010, a facility shall, with respect to the entity that operates the facility (in this subparagraph 1 referred to as the “operating organization” or “organization”), have in operation a compliance and ethics program that is effective in preventing and detecting criminal, civil, and administrative violations under this chapter and in promoting quality of care consistent with regulations developed under paragraph (2). (2) Development of regulations (A) In general Not later than the date that is 2 years after March 23, 2010, the Secretary, working jointly with the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services, shall promulgate regulations for an effective compliance and ethics program for operating organizations, which may include a model compliance program. (B) Design of regulations Such regulations with respect to specific elements or formality of a program shall, in the case of an organization that operates 5 or more facilities, vary with the size of the organization, such that larger organizations should have a more formal program and include established written policies defining the standards and procedures to be followed by its employees. Such requirements may specifically apply to the corporate level management of multi unit nursing home chains. (C) Evaluation Not later than 3 years after the date of the promulgation of regulations under this paragraph, the Secretary shall complete an evaluation of the compliance and ethics programs required to be established under this subsection. Such evaluation shall determine if such programs led to changes in deficiency citations, changes in quality performance, or changes in other metrics of patient quality of care. The Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on such evaluation and shall include in such report such recommendations regarding changes in the requirements for such programs as the Secretary determines appropriate. (3) Requirements for compliance and ethics programs In this subsection, the term “compliance and ethics program” means, with respect to a facility, a program of the operating organization that— (A) has been reasonably designed, implemented, and enforced so that it generally will be effective in preventing and detecting criminal, civil, and administrative violations under this chapter and in promoting quality of care; and (B) includes at least the required components specified in paragraph (4). (4) Required components of program The required components of a compliance and ethics program of an operating organization are the following: (A) The organization must have established compliance standards and procedures to be followed by its employees and other agents that are reasonably capable of reducing the prospect of criminal, civil, and administrative violations under this chapter. (B) Specific individuals within high-level personnel of the organization must have been assigned overall responsibility to oversee compliance with such standards and procedures and have sufficient resources and authority to assure such compliance. (C) The organization must have used due care not to delegate substantial discretionary authority to individuals whom the organization knew, or should have known through the exercise of due diligence, had a propensity to engage in criminal, civil, and administrative violations under this chapter. (D) The organization must have taken steps to communicate effectively its standards and procedures to all employees and other agents, such as by requiring participation in training programs or by disseminating publications that explain in a practical manner what is required. (E) The organizat...

(a) “Skilled nursing facility” defined In this subchapter, the term “skilled nursing facility” means an institution (or a distinct part of an institution) which— (1) is primarily engaged in providing to residents— (A) skilled nursing care and related services for residents who require medical or nursing care, or (B) rehabilitation services for the rehabilitation of injured, disabled, or sick persons, and is not primarily for the care and treatment of mental diseases; (2) has in effect a transfer agreement (meeting the requirements of section 1395x(l) of this title) with one or more hospitals having agreements in effect under section 1395cc of this title; and (3) meets the requirements for a skilled nursing facility described in subsections (b), (c), and (d) of this section. (b) Requirements relating to provision of services (1) Quality of life (A) In general A skilled nursing facility must care for its residents in such a manner and in such an environment as will promote maintenance or enhancement of the quality of life of each resident. (B) Quality assessment and assurance A skilled nursing facility must maintain a quality assessment and assurance committee, consisting of the director of nursing services, a physician designated by the facility, and at least 3 other members of the facility’s staff, which (i) meets at least quarterly to identify issues with respect to which quality assessment and assurance activities are necessary and (ii) develops and implements appropriate plans of action to correct identified quality deficiencies. A State or the Secretary may not require disclosure of the records of such committee except insofar as such disclosure is related to the compliance of such committee with the requirements of this subparagraph. (2) Scope of services and activities under plan of care A skilled nursing facility must provide services to attain or maintain the highest practicable physical, mental, and psychosocial well-being of each resident, in accordance with a written plan of care which— (A) describes the medical, nursing, and psychosocial needs of the resident and how such needs will be met; (B) is initially prepared, with the participation to the extent practicable of the resident or the resident’s family or legal representative, by a team which includes the resident’s attending physician and a registered professional nurse with responsibility for the resident; and (C) is periodically reviewed and revised by such team after each assessment under paragraph (3). (3) Residents’ assessment (A) Requirement A skilled nursing facility must conduct a comprehensive, accurate, standardized, reproducible assessment of each resident’s functional capacity, which assessment— (i) describes the resident’s capability to perform daily life functions and significant impairments in functional capacity; (ii) is based on a uniform minimum data set specified by the Secretary under subsection (f)(6)(A); (iii) uses an instrument which is specified by the State under subsection (e)(5); and (iv) includes the identification of medical problems. (B) Certification (i) In general Each such assessment must be conducted or coordinated (with the appropriate participation of health professionals) by a registered professional nurse who signs and certifies the completion of the assessment. Each individual who completes a portion of such an assessment shall sign and certify as to the accuracy of that portion of the assessment. (ii) Penalty for falsification (I) An individual who willfully and knowingly certifies under clause (i) a material and false statement in a resident assessment is subject to a civil money penalty of not more than $1,000 with respect to each assessment. (II) An individual who willfully and knowingly causes another individual to certify under clause (i) a material and false statement in a resident assessment is subject to a civil money penalty of not more than $5,000 with respect to each assessment. (III) The provisions of secti...

(a) Determination of monthly actuarial rates and premiums (1) The Secretary shall, during September of 1983 and of each year thereafter, determine the monthly actuarial rate for enrollees age 65 and over which shall be applicable for the succeeding calendar year. Subject to paragraphs (5), (6), and (7), such actuarial rate shall be the amount the Secretary estimates to be necessary so that the aggregate amount for such calendar year with respect to those enrollees age 65 and older will equal one-half of the total of the benefits and administrative costs which he estimates will be payable from the Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund for services performed and related administrative costs incurred in such calendar year with respect to such enrollees. In calculating the monthly actuarial rate, the Secretary shall include an appropriate amount for a contingency margin. In applying this paragraph there shall not be taken into account additional payments under section 1395w–4(o) of this title and section 1395w–23(l)(3) of this title and the Government contribution under section 1395w(a)(3) of this title. (2) The monthly premium of each individual enrolled under this part for each month after December 1983 shall be the amount determined under paragraph (3), adjusted as required in accordance with subsections (b), (c), (f), and (i), and to reflect any credit provided under section 1395w–24(b)(1)(C)(ii)(III) of this title. (3) The Secretary, during September of each year, shall determine and promulgate a monthly premium rate for the succeeding calendar year that (except as provided in subsection (g)) is equal to 50 percent of the monthly actuarial rate for enrollees age 65 and over, determined according to paragraph (1), for that succeeding calendar year. Whenever the Secretary promulgates the dollar amount which shall be applicable as the monthly premium rate for any period, he shall, at the time such promulgation is announced, issue a public statement setting forth the actuarial assumptions and bases employed by him in arriving at the amount of an adequate actuarial rate for enrollees age 65 and older as provided in paragraph (1). (4) The Secretary shall also, during September of 1983 and of each year thereafter, determine the monthly actuarial rate for disabled enrollees under age 65 which shall be applicable for the succeeding calendar year. Such actuarial rate shall be the amount the Secretary estimates to be necessary so that the aggregate amount for such calendar year with respect to disabled enrollees under age 65 will equal one-half of the total of the benefits and administrative costs which he estimates will be payable from the Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund for services performed and related administrative costs incurred in such calendar year with respect to such enrollees. In calculating the monthly actuarial rate under this paragraph, the Secretary shall include an appropriate amount for a contingency margin. (5) (A) In applying this part (including subsection (i) and section 1395l(b) of this title), the monthly actuarial rate for enrollees age 65 and over for 2016 shall be determined as if subsection (f) did not apply. (B) Subsection (f) shall continue to be applied to paragraph (6)(A) (during a repayment month, as described in paragraph (6)(B)) and without regard to the application of subparagraph (A). (6) (A) With respect to a repayment month (as described in subparagraph (B)), the monthly premium otherwise established under paragraph (3) shall be increased by, subject to subparagraph (D), $3. (B) For purposes of this paragraph, a repayment month is a month during a year, beginning with 2016, for which a balance due amount is computed under subparagraph (C) as greater than zero. (C) For purposes of this paragraph, the balance due amount computed under this subparagraph, with respect to a month, is the amount estimated by the Chief Actuary of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Servi...

(a) Per diem limitations The Secretary, in determining the amount of the payments which may be made under this subchapter with respect to routine service costs of extended care services shall not recognize as reasonable (in the efficient delivery of health services) per diem costs of such services to the extent that such per diem costs exceed the following per diem limits, except as otherwise provided in this section: (1) With respect to freestanding skilled nursing facilities located in urban areas, the limit shall be equal to 112 percent of the mean per diem routine service costs for freestanding skilled nursing facilities located in urban areas. (2) With respect to freestanding skilled nursing facilities located in rural areas, the limit shall be equal to 112 percent of the mean per diem routine service costs for freestanding skilled nursing facilities located in rural areas. (3) With respect to hospital-based skilled nursing facilities located in urban areas, the limit shall be equal to the sum of the limit for freestanding skilled nursing facilities located in urban areas, plus 50 percent of the amount by which 112 percent of the mean per diem routine service costs for hospital-based skilled nursing facilities located in urban areas exceeds the limit for freestanding skilled nursing facilities located in urban areas. (4) With respect to hospital-based skilled nursing facilities located in rural areas, the limit shall be equal to the sum of the limit for freestanding skilled nursing facilities located in rural areas, plus 50 percent of the amount by which 112 percent of the mean per diem routine service costs for hospital-based skilled nursing facilities located in rural areas exceeds the limit for freestanding skilled nursing facilities located in rural areas. In applying this subsection the Secretary shall make appropriate adjustments to the labor related portion of the costs based upon an appropriate wage index, and shall, for cost reporting periods beginning on or after October 1, 1992, on or after October 1, 1995, and every 2 years thereafter, provide for an update to the per diem cost limits described in this subsection, except that the limits effective for cost reporting periods beginning on or after October 1, 1997, shall be based on the limits effective for cost reporting periods beginning on or after October 1, 1996. (b) Excess overhead allocations for hospital-based facilities With respect to a hospital-based skilled nursing facility, the Secretary may not recognize as reasonable the portion of the cost differences between hospital-based and freestanding skilled nursing facilities attributable to excess overhead allocations. (c) Adjustments in limitations; publication of data The Secretary may make adjustments in the limits set forth in subsection (a) with respect to any skilled nursing facility to the extent the Secretary deems appropriate, based upon case mix or circumstances beyond the control of the facility. The Secretary shall publish the data and criteria to be used for purposes of this subsection on an annual basis. (d) Access to skilled nursing facilities (1) Subject to subsection (e), any skilled nursing facility may choose to be paid under this subsection on the basis of a prospective payment for all routine service costs (including the costs of services required to attain or maintain the highest practicable physical, mental, and psychosocial well-being of each resident eligible for benefits under this subchapter) and capital-related costs of extended care services provided in a cost reporting period if such facility had, in the preceding cost reporting period, fewer than 1,500 patient days with respect to which payments were made under this subchapter. Such prospective payment shall be in lieu of payments which would otherwise be made for routine service costs pursuant to section 1395x(v) of this title and subsections (a) through (c) of this section and capital-related costs pursuant to section 13...

(a) Activities deemed as compliance A State shall not be deemed to be out of compliance with the requirements of paragraphs (1), (10), or (23) of section 1396a(a) of this title solely by reason of the fact that the State (or any political subdivision thereof)— (1) has entered into— (A) a contract with an organization which has agreed to provide care and services in addition to those offered under the State plan to individuals eligible for medical assistance who reside in the geographic area served by such organization and who elect to obtain such care and services from such organization, or by reason of the fact that the plan provides for payment for rural health clinic services only if those services are provided by a rural health clinic; or (B) arrangements through a competitive bidding process or otherwise for the purchase of laboratory services referred to in section 1396d(a)(3) of this title or medical devices if the Secretary has found that— (i) adequate services or devices will be available under such arrangements, and (ii) any such laboratory services will be provided only through laboratories— (I) which meet the applicable requirements of section 1395x(e)(9) of this title or paragraphs (16) and (17) of section 1395x(s) of this title, and such additional requirements as the Secretary may require, and (II) no more than 75 percent of whose charges for such services are for services provided to individuals who are entitled to benefits under this subchapter or under part A or part B of subchapter XVIII; or (2) restricts for a reasonable period of time the provider or providers from which an individual (eligible for medical assistance for items or services under the State plan) can receive such items or services, if— (A) the State has found, after notice and opportunity for a hearing (in accordance with procedures established by the State), that the individual has utilized such items or services at a frequency or amount not medically necessary (as determined in accordance with utilization guidelines established by the State), and (B) under such restriction, individuals eligible for medical assistance for such services have reasonable access (taking into account geographic location and reasonable travel time) to such services of adequate quality. (b) Waivers to promote cost-effectiveness and efficiency The Secretary, to the extent he finds it to be cost-effective and efficient and not inconsistent with the purposes of this subchapter, may waive such requirements of section 1396a of this title (other than subsection (s)) (other than sections 1396a(a)(15), 1396a(bb), and 1396a(a)(10)(A) of this title insofar as it requires provision of the care and services described in section 1396d(a)(2)(C) of this title) as may be necessary for a State— (1) to implement a primary care case-management system or a specialty physician services arrangement which restricts the provider from (or through) whom an individual (eligible for medical assistance under this subchapter) can obtain medical care services (other than in emergency circumstances), if such restriction does not substantially impair access to such services of adequate quality where medically necessary, (2) to allow a locality to act as a central broker in assisting individuals (eligible for medical assistance under this subchapter) in selecting among competing health care plans, if such restriction does not substantially impair access to services of adequate quality where medically necessary, (3) to share (through provision of additional services) with recipients of medical assistance under the State plan cost savings resulting from use by the recipient of more cost-effective medical care, and (4) to restrict the provider from (or through) whom an individual (eligible for medical assistance under this subchapter) can obtain services (other than in emergency circumstances) to providers or practitioners who undertake to provide such services and who meet, accept, and comply with...

(a) “Nursing facility” defined In this subchapter, the term “nursing facility” means an institution (or a distinct part of an institution) which— (1) is primarily engaged in providing to residents— (A) skilled nursing care and related services for residents who require medical or nursing care, (B) rehabilitation services for the rehabilitation of injured, disabled, or sick persons, or (C) on a regular basis, health-related care and services to individuals who because of their mental or physical condition require care and services (above the level of room and board) which can be made available to them only through institutional facilities, and is not primarily for the care and treatment of mental diseases; (2) has in effect a transfer agreement (meeting the requirements of section 1395x(l) of this title) with one or more hospitals having agreements in effect under section 1395cc of this title; and (3) meets the requirements for a nursing facility described in subsections (b), (c), and (d) of this section. Such term also includes any facility which is located in a State on an Indian reservation and is certified by the Secretary as meeting the requirements of paragraph (1) and subsections (b), (c), and (d). (b) Requirements relating to provision of services (1) Quality of life (A) In general A nursing facility must care for its residents in such a manner and in such an environment as will promote maintenance or enhancement of the quality of life of each resident. (B) Quality assessment and assurance A nursing facility must maintain a quality assessment and assurance committee, consisting of the director of nursing services, a physician designated by the facility, and at least 3 other members of the facility’s staff, which (i) meets at least quarterly to identify issues with respect to which quality assessment and assurance activities are necessary and (ii) develops and implements appropriate plans of action to correct identified quality deficiencies. A State or the Secretary may not require disclosure of the records of such committee except insofar as such disclosure is related to the compliance of such committee with the requirements of this subparagraph. (2) Scope of services and activities under plan of care A nursing facility must provide services and activities to attain or maintain the highest practicable physical, mental, and psychosocial well-being of each resident in accordance with a written plan of care which— (A) describes the medical, nursing, and psychosocial needs of the resident and how such needs will be met; (B) is initially prepared, with the participation to the extent practicable of the resident or the resident’s family or legal representative, by a team which includes the resident’s attending physician and a registered professional nurse with responsibility for the resident; and (C) is periodically reviewed and revised by such team after each assessment under paragraph (3). (3) Residents’ assessment (A) Requirement A nursing facility must conduct a comprehensive, accurate, standardized, reproducible assessment of each resident’s functional capacity, which assessment— (i) describes the resident’s capability to perform daily life functions and significant impairments in functional capacity; (ii) is based on a uniform minimum data set specified by the Secretary under subsection (f)(6)(A); (iii) uses an instrument which is specified by the State under subsection (e)(5); and (iv) includes the identification of medical problems. (B) Certification (i) In general Each such assessment must be conducted or coordinated (with the appropriate participation of health professionals) by a registered professional nurse who signs and certifies the completion of the assessment. Each individual who completes a portion of such an assessment shall sign and certify as to the accuracy of that portion of the assessment. (ii) Penalty for falsification (I) An individual who willfully and knowingly certifies under clause (i) a mater...