CHAPTER 813
An Act requiring the Joint Commission on Health Care to study nursing home licensure regulations and centers of excellence in nursing homes.
Approved March 29, 1999
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. § 1. Study of nursing home licensure regulations and centers of excellence in nursing homes.
A. The Joint Commission on Health Care shall (i) study the adequacy of current Virginia regulations for licensure of nursing homes and the advisability of utilizing “deemed status” for nationally accredited nursing homes with the assistance of the Department of Health and (ii) examine the concept of centers of excellence in long-term care in cooperation with the Secretary of Health and Human Resources.
B. The Joint Commission shall examine the Commonwealth’s nursing home licensure regulations to determine: (i) means for making such regulations more outcome oriented and focused on continuous quality improvement, (ii) opportunities for gathering additional resident and family input as part of the licensure process for nursing homes, (iii) the advisability of accepting national accreditation as evidence of compliance with state licensure standards, and (iv) other states’ laws regarding deemed status for state licensure of nursing homes.
C. The Joint Commission shall examine the concept of centers of excellence with regard to long-term care reimbursement, specialized care programs, best management practices, and other issues as appropriate in cooperation with the Secretary of Health and Human Resources.
D. The Joint Commission shall submit its report to the Senate Committee on Education and Health and the House Committee on Health, Welfare and Institutions prior to October 1, 1999.