Share:
Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2013 - 2014
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | March 6, 2013 01:38 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Senator Matt Smith |
| To: | All Senate members |
| Subject: | Accountability for Staff Turnover and Hours of Care by Specialty at Nursing Facilities |
| In the near future I will introduce legislation that will require nursing home facilities to report their staff turnover rates to the PA Department of Health (DOH). In addition, nursing facilities will be required to breakout their staffing data by specialty and list their staff turnover rates for Registered Nurses (RNs), Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) and Certified Nurse Aides (CNAs) and indicate the care hours provided to residents by each specialty area. The staff turnover rate and direct hours of care data that is reported to DOH will then be posted on both the facility’s web site and the departments nursing facilities web site to inform the general public about staff turnover rates and direct care hours at all nursing facilities. Staff turnover in nursing facilities is often a problem and frequently leads to poorer quality care and can increase the costs of care for residents of nursing facilities. Nursing facilities currently report staffing data to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) at the Federal level and provide some data to the DOH at the state level, but the information is not broken down by job classification and is not clearly defined. My legislation will require greater transparency with regard to staff turnover at nursing facilities and the hours of care that are provided to residents by specialty type. This legislation will provide better information for the public to make informed decisions with regard to nursing facility care, and provide the potential for better health outcomes for residents of nursing care facilities. Please join me in co-sponsoring this important legislation. If you have question about this legislation please contact Tim Golding of my staff at tgolding@pasenate.com or717-787-5839. |
Introduced as SB625