Medicare and Medicaid Nursing Facility Quality Improvement Act of 2005

Bill: 109-hr-3437
Sponsor: Rep. Camp, Dave [R-MI-4]
Introduced: 2005-07-26 in the House
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Administrative procedure
Administrative remedies
Alternative dispute resolution
Department of Health and Human Services
Education
Employee training
Employment tests
Government Operations and Politics
Higher education
Labor and Employment
Law
Mediation
Medicaid
Medical education
Medicare
Nursing homes
Paramedical personnel
Patient satisfaction
Quality of care
Quality of life
Social Welfare
Surveys
Welfare waivers

Summary:
action_date: 2005-07-26
text: 
Medicare and Medicaid Nursing Facility Quality Improvement Act of 2005 - Amends titles XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to revise the federal survey and certification process for skilled nursing facilities.
 
Revises requirements for nurse aide training and competency evaluation programs.
 
Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to disapprove such programs offered by a facility.
 
Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) waive certain requirements for 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, in certain circumstances, 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.
 
Directs 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 State to establish a process for joint training and education of surveyors and providers at least annually and periodically as changes to regulations, guidelines, and policy governing nursing facility operations are implemented and used in surveys of participating facilities.
 
Directs the Secretary to require the state to establish a process for facility-based training for new surveyors.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2005-08-05
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Chairman.
action_date: 2005-08-03
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
action_date: 2005-07-26
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: 2005-07-26
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: 2005-07-26
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: 2005-07-26
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2005-07-26
text: Introduced in House