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If, when and how much Obamacare is overturned or modified, Oklahoma seniors need to be concerned about aspects of the health care reform package that directly affects their interests and those of elderly family members and friends. At issue is improving quality and safety at all of the state’s long-term care facilities: nursing homes, assisted-living centers, adult day-care centers, residential care homes and others.
Some $777 million is being used nationally during the next four years to institute reforms ranging from new criminal background checks of employees by using fingerprinting; the immediate reporting of crimes in long-term care facilities to law-enforcement agencies; tougher financial penalties for not reporting crimes of abuse; and penalties against long-term care administrators who retaliate against whistleblowers.
Facilities with repeated “noncompliance issues” will be inspected every six months instead of longer periods between inspections of long-term care locations.
“I like so much of this,” said Esther Houser, state ombudsman who’s considered the top advocate for nursing home residents and their families. Most of the reforms start in 2011 and 2012. Oklahoma currently has about 20,000 residents in 325 nursing homes. The state also has another 11,500 licensed beds for people occupying assisted-living centers, residential care facilities and intermediate care facilities for the mentally handicapped.
As Houser noted, Obamacare provides improved disclosure requirements related to nursing home ownership. “Many owners now hide behind various corporate disguises, and it has been harder for the average person, let alone enforcement agencies, to identify the true owner,” she said.
The law stipulates improvements in new compliance and ethics standards for nursing facilities intended to identify criminal or other violations. Improvements to the current www.Medicare.gov “Nursing-Home-Compare” website are being sought to provide better information for consumers.
There are benefits, too, aimed at helping long-term care centers that have high staff turnovers. There’s planned a study by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS, on establishing a National Nurse Aide Registry.
There’ll be incentives to attract and support new direct-care workers for long-term care settings.
Many pros and cons exist about Obamacare requirements affecting long-term care facilities.
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ReplyDeleteSenior Care Services Bonham