Legislation impacting long term care facilities was heard at the October 29th Joint Committee on Elder Affairs hearing. Representative Denise Garlick (D-Needham) presented oral remarks on her bill, House Bill 609, An Act Relative to Promoting the Betterment of Resident’s Health and Safety in Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Facilities. Mass Senior Care Association provided written testimony which focuses on the need to ensure quality resident care and safety by requiring the DPH’s Division of Health Care Facility Licensure and Certification to offer best practice training for skilled nursing facility staff on the most frequently cited regulatory deficiencies. Mass Senior Care continues to provide members with the latest regulatory and compliance updates and trends to promote quality care within long term care.
In addition, Damian Dell’Anno of Next Step Health Care and Frank Romano of Essex Group Management testified in support of Senate Bill 2376, An Act to Establishing Adequate Funding for Residents of Massachusetts Nursing Homes. Dell’Anno and Romano’s testimony highlighted the critical need to update the Medicaid reimbursement system to address the growing financial and workforce crisis impacting long term care providers. Additional legislation on the docket included Alzheimer’s care, assisted living residences and other senior care issues.