S1614 — An Act ensuring home care patient safety

Summary

An Act ensuring home care patient safety

Bill Text

• Full text Current

AI-generated reading aid from the bill's amendatory text — verify against the official bill.

• Chapter 111, Section 236

  Definition “High Risk Patient”: Suffering from a series of chronic conditions that challenge the ability to access care. This may include but not limited to dementia, conditions resulting from diabetes related complications, stroke, and heart related issues.

  This adds a definition for 'High Risk Patient' to the existing law.

• Chapter 111, Section 72 G

  A home care agency shall take specific steps for high risk patients to ensure critical services including medication administration to high risk patients are not disrupted, and shall provide the most updated medication information including any changes to home visiting nurses. A home health agency shall ensure a substitute home visiting nurse has the most updated medication list and updated administration steps.

  This mandates home care agencies to take specific actions to ensure medication administration for high risk patients.

• Chapter 111, Section 72 G

  In cases where a home visiting nurse locks medication, a home health care agency shall ensure a high risk patient always has supply of critical medications.

  This requires home health care agencies to guarantee that high risk patients have a supply of critical medications even if nursing staff are unavailable.

• Chapter 111, Section 72 G

  In case of inadvertent medical errors, a home visiting nurse shall report medical errors to primary doctor and inform family members.

  This establishes a requirement for reporting medical errors to both the primary doctor and family members.

• Chapter 111, Section 72 G

  A home health care agency shall further establish a scheduling notification system for home visiting nurses, a high risk patient’s primary care doctor and family members.

  This creates a requirement for a scheduling notification system to improve communication among caregivers and family.

• Chapter 111, Section 72 G

  There shall be a commission to study the rising needs of an increasing elder adult population including in low-income communities and causes of patient harm in home health care. The commission shall study the causes of medical errors that result in patient harm including in high risk patients, the challenges for health care workers, and make recommendations to ensure the safety of patients, quality of home health care, and reduction of patient harm including in high risk patient populations.

  This establishes a commission to study healthcare issues related to elder populations and recommend improvements.

Sponsors

• Jacob R. Oliveira · Primary

Subjects