Medicare and Medicaid Nursing Facility Quality Improvement Act of 2003

Bill: 108-hr-787
Sponsor: Rep. Camp, Dave [R-MI-4]
Introduced: 2003-02-13 in the House
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Administrative procedure
Administrative remedies
Awards, medals, prizes
Commemorations
Communication in medicine
Department of Health and Human Services
Education
Employment tests
Government Operations and Politics
Higher education
Labor and Employment
Law
Mediation
Medicaid
Medical education
Medicare
Nursing homes
Paramedical personnel
Patient satisfaction
Physicians
Quality of care
Quality of life
Social Welfare
Surveys
Welfare waivers

Summary:
action_date: 2003-02-13
text: Medicare and Medicaid Nursing Facility Quality Improvement Act of 2003 - Amends titles XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to revise the Federal survey and certification process of skilled nursing facilities.
Revises requirements for nurse aide training and competency evaluation programs and for nurse aide competency evaluation programs to state that the prohibition against approval of a program offered by or in a skilled nursing facility which is operating under a waiver, subject to an extended survey, or has been assessed a civil penalty shall not be continued when the facility involved through on-site verification demonstrates compliance with the applicable standards.
Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) waive the skilled nursing survey and certification process in order to test and implement innovative alternatives to the otherwise applicable survey process; and (2) continue payments for up to one year under certain conditions, pending remediation, to a nursing facility that no longer meets the specified requirements.
Requires each State to establish an informal and independent dispute resolution process to allow facilities to settle disputes involving compliance with nursing facility requirements.
Requires surveyors to defer to the diagnosis and treatment decisions of the resident's attending physician and of the facility's medical director. Requires the Secretary to implement programs to monitor and correct instances of failure of surveyors to do so.
Declares that nothing shall be construed as precluding members of survey teams from providing information to faculty and staff on best or innovative practices for assuring quality care in nursing facilities.
Requires the Secretary to provide incentives for operators with histories of good compliance to acquire facilities with poor compliance histories.
Permits nursing facilities to appeal deficiency determinations.
Requires the Secretary to establish a program that rewards skilled nursing facilities that provide the highest quality of care.

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2003-03-10
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Chairman.
action_date: 2003-02-27
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
action_date: 2003-02-13
text: Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2003-02-13
text: Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2003-02-13
text: Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2003-02-13
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2003-02-13
text: Introduced in House