Nine states made “major” changes to their assisted living regulations and policy in 2012, and twice as many reported making changes of some sort that impacted the industry, according to an analysis by the National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL).
“In 2012, states continued developing new models for surveys, expanding disclosure and reporting requirements, addressing life safety and infection control issues, and allowing increased delegation of medication administration to non-nurse staff,” said Karl Polzer, NCAL’s senior policy director and the report’s author.
Colorado, Georgia, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, and Washington are the states with “major” changes, ranging from innovative approaches to surveying communities to updating rules for personal care homes or changing policies regarding providing care to residents receiving Medicaid services.
New Jersey and Colorado, for example, developed new approaches to surveys, in part to help better allocate resources. Michigan also began using a new licensure renewal inspection system in 2012.
In Georgia, rules were updated for personal care homes in January 2013, including new requirements for additional staff training, staffing above minimal standards, and a resident needs assessment upon move-in.
Another state with new policies effective in January 2013 is New York, which adopted a rule stating that no adult home with a capacity of 80 residents or more may admit or retain more than a 25% census of residents with serious mental illnesses.
Washington state changed its licensure term from “boarding home” to “assisted living facility” in 2012, while several states reportedly made changes to policies and rules for care provided to residents receiving Medicaid services, some to accommodate managed care contacts, says NCAL.
Some trends identified in the report include expanding disclosure and reporting requirements in California, Florida, Ohio, Oregon, and Washington, and changing life safety or physical plant standards in Missouri, North Dakota, Oregon, and West Virginia.
View the 2012 State-by-State Highlights of assisted living regulatory, statutory, and policy changes.
Written by Alyssa Gerace
