SB1779 EnrolledLRB103 28441 AMQ 54821 b

1    AN ACT concerning regulation.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Nursing Home Care Act is amended by adding
5Section 3-220 as follows:
 
6    (210 ILCS 45/3-220 new)
7    Sec. 3-220. Certified medication aide program.
8    (a) Definitions. As used in this Section:
9    "Department" means the Department of Public Health.
10    "Certified medication aide" means a person who has met the
11qualifications for certification under this Section who
12assists with medication administration while under the
13supervision of a registered professional nurse in a skilled
14nursing facility.
15    "Qualified employer" means a facility licensed under this
16Act by the Department of Public Health that meets the
17qualifications set forth in subsection (c) of Section 3-220 of
18this Act.
19    (b) The Department shall administer and enforce a
20certified medication aide program, ensuring the regulation and
21certification of medication aides. In order for a facility to
22use certified medication aides, it must have the approval of
23the Department.

 

 

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1    (c) To be approved as a qualified facility, a facility
2must:
3        (1) be licensed and in compliance when applying as a
4    skilled nursing facility by the Department of Public
5    Health;
6        (2) not appear on the Centers for Medicare and
7    Medicaid Services Special Focus Facility List;
8        (3) certify that the employment of a certified
9    medication aide will not replace or diminish the
10    employment of a registered nurse or licensed practical
11    nurse at the facility;
12        (4) certify that a registered nurse will be on duty
13    and present in the facility to delegate and supervise the
14    medication administration by a certified medication aide
15    during the delegation times;
16        (5) certify that, with the exception of licensed
17    health care professionals, only certified medication aides
18    will be employed in the capacity of administering
19    medication; and
20        (6) provide information regarding patient safety,
21    efficiency, and errors as determined by the Department by
22    rule.
23        Failure to submit any required report shall be grounds
24    for discipline or sanctions under this Act, the Nurse
25    Practice Act, or the Nursing Home Administrators Licensing
26    and Disciplinary Act.

 

 

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1    (d) The Department shall submit a report regarding patient
2safety, efficiency, and errors, as determined by rule, to the
3General Assembly no later than one year after the full
4implementation of the program.
5    (e) Nothing in this Section shall be construed as
6preventing or restricting the practice, services, or
7activities of:
8        (1) any person licensed in this State by any other law
9    from engaging in the profession or occupation for which
10    the person is licensed;
11        (2) any person employed as a medication aide by the
12    government of the United States, if the person practices
13    as a medication aide solely under the direction or control
14    of the organization by which the person is employed; or
15        (3) any person pursuing a course of study leading to a
16    certificate in medication aide at an accredited or
17    approved educational program if such activities and
18    services constitute a part of a supervised course of study
19    and if such person is designated by a title which clearly
20    indicates the person's status as a student or trainee.
21    (f) Nothing in this Section shall be construed to limit
22the delegation of tasks or duties by a physician, dentist,
23advanced practice registered nurse, or podiatric physician as
24authorized by law.
25    (g) A certified medication aide may only practice in a
26qualified facility.

 

 

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1    (h) Certified medication aides must be supervised by and
2receive delegation from a registered nurse that is on duty and
3present in the facility at all times when certified medication
4aides are administering medication.
5    (i) Certified medication aides shall not perform other
6duties during the duration of the medication distribution.
7    (j) Certified medication aides shall not administer any
8medication until a physician has conducted an initial
9assessment of the resident.
10    (k) Certified medication aides shall not administer any
11Schedule II controlled substances as set forth in the Illinois
12Controlled Substances Act and may not administer any
13subcutaneous, intramuscular, intradermal, or intravenous
14medication.
15    (l) In addition to any other penalty provided by law, any
16person who practices, offers to practice, attempts to
17practice, or holds oneself out to practice as a medication
18aide without being certified under this Section shall pay a
19civil penalty to the Department in an amount determined by the
20Department by rule.
21    (m) The Department has the authority and power to
22investigate any and all activity under this Section that is
23not certified.
24    (n) The civil penalty described in this Section shall be
25paid within 60 days after the effective date of the order
26imposing the civil penalty. The order shall constitute a

 

 

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1judgment and may be filed and execution had thereon in the same
2manner as any judgment from any court of record.
3    (o) The Department shall authorize examinations of
4applicants for certification under this Section at the times
5and places it designates. The examination shall be of a
6character to give a fair test of the qualifications of the
7applicant to practice as a certified medication aide.
8    (p) Applicants for examination as a certified medication
9aide shall be required to pay, either to the Department or the
10designated testing service, a fee covering the cost of
11providing the examination. Failure to appear for the
12examination on the scheduled date, at the time and place
13specified, after the applicant's application for examination
14has been received and acknowledged by the Department or the
15designated testing service, shall result in the forfeiture of
16the examination fee.
17    (q) An applicant for certification by examination to
18practice as a certified medication aide must:
19        (1) submit a completed written application on forms
20    provided by the Department and pay any fees as established
21    by the Department;
22        (2) be age 18 or older;
23        (3) have a State of Illinois High School Diploma;
24        (4) demonstrate the ability to speak, read, and write
25    the English language or language of the facility, as
26    determined by rule;

 

 

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1        (5) demonstrate competency in math, as determined by
2    rule;
3        (6) be currently certified in good standing as a
4    certified nursing assistant and provide proof of 2,000
5    hours of practice as a certified nursing assistant within
6    3 years before application for certification;
7        (7) submit to the criminal history records check
8    required under the Health Care Worker Background Check
9    Act;
10        (8) have not engaged in conduct or behavior determined
11    to be grounds for discipline under this Act;
12        (9) be currently certified to perform cardiopulmonary
13    resuscitation by the American Heart Association or
14    American Red Cross;
15        (10) have successfully completed a course of study
16    that is approved by the Department by rule and that
17    includes:
18            (A) a minimum of 60 hours of classroom-based
19        certified medication aide education;
20            (B) a minimum of 10 hours of simulation laboratory
21        study; and
22            (C) a minimum of 30 hours of registered
23        nurse-supervised clinical practicum with progressive
24        responsibility of patient medication assistance;
25        (11) have successfully completed the medication aide
26    certification examination or other examination authorized

 

 

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1    by the Department; and
2        (12) submit proof of employment by a qualifying
3    facility.
4    (r) The expiration date for each certification to practice
5as a certified medication aide shall be set by rule.
6    (s) The Department may take disciplinary action against a
7medication aide, including, but not limited to, suspension or
8revocation of the medication aide's certification, for gross
9negligence. Violations and enforcement shall be as otherwise
10provided in Article III of this Act.
11    (t) Any person who is issued a certification as a
12medication aide under the terms of this Section shall use the
13words "certified medication aide" in connection with the
14person's name to denote the person's certification under this
15Section.
16    (u) To ensure transparency and the well-being of
17residents, a facility is required to provide information about
18medication administration via certified medication aides in
19its admission agreements so that residents and their families
20understand the addition of certified medication aides as
21members of the healthcare team.
22    (v) The Department shall propose rules to implement,
23administer, and enforce this Section within 180 days after the
24effective date of this amendatory Act of the 103rd General
25Assembly.