State of Illinois
91st General Assembly
Legislation

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[ Engrossed ][ House Amendment 001 ]

91_HB0831

 
                                               LRB9103501ACtm

 1        AN  ACT  to  amend  the Nursing Home Care Act by changing
 2    Section 3-212.

 3        Be it enacted by the People of  the  State  of  Illinois,
 4    represented in the General Assembly:

 5        Section  5.   The  Nursing  Home  Care  Act is amended by
 6    changing Section 3-212 as follows:

 7        (210 ILCS 45/3-212) (from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 4153-212)
 8        Sec. 3-212. Inspection.
 9        (a)  The  Department,  whenever  it  deems  necessary  in
10    accordance with subsection (b),  shall  inspect,  survey  and
11    evaluate   every   facility   to  determine  compliance  with
12    applicable  licensure   requirements   and   standards.    An
13    inspection  should  occur  within  120  days prior to license
14    renewal.  The Department may periodically  visit  a  facility
15    for  the  purpose of consultation.  An inspection, survey, or
16    evaluation, other than an inspection  of  financial  records,
17    shall  be  conducted without prior notice to the facility.  A
18    visit for the sole purpose of consultation may be announced.
19        (a-1)  An employee of a State or unit of local government
20    agency charged with  inspecting,  surveying,  and  evaluating
21    facilities  who  directly or indirectly gives prior notice of
22    an  inspection,  survey,  or  evaluation,   other   than   an
23    inspection  of  financial  records,  to  a  facility or to an
24    employee of a facility is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor.
25        An inspector or an  employee  of  the  Department  or  an
26    employee  of  the  Ombudsman Program or any of its volunteers
27    who prenotifies a  facility,  orally  or  in  writing,  of  a
28    pending  complaint,  investigation,  or  inspection  shall be
29    guilty of a Class 4 felony and shall be fined  no  less  than
30    $10,000.    Superiors  of  persons  who  have  prenotified  a
31    facility shall be subject to the same penalties, if they have
 
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 1    knowingly allowed the prenotification.  A person found guilty
 2    of prenotifying a facility shall be subject  to  disciplinary
 3    action  by  his  or  her employer and shall be forever barred
 4    from participating in the Ombudsman Program.
 5        If the Department has a good  faith  belief,  based  upon
 6    information  that comes to its attention, that a violation of
 7    this subsection has occurred, it must file a  complaint  with
 8    the  Attorney  General  or the State's Attorney in the county
 9    where the violation took place within 30 days after discovery
10    of the information.
11        (a-2)  An employee of a State or unit of local government
12    agency charged  with  inspecting,  surveying,  or  evaluating
13    facilities   who   willfully   profits   from  violating  the
14    confidentiality of  the  inspection,  survey,  or  evaluation
15    process  shall be guilty of a Class 4 felony and that conduct
16    shall be deemed unprofessional conduct  that  may  subject  a
17    person to loss of his or her professional license.  An action
18    to prosecute a person for violating this subsection (a-2) may
19    be  brought  by  either  the  Attorney General or the State's
20    Attorney in the county where the violation took place.
21        (b)  In  determining  whether  to  make  more  than   the
22    required  number  of  unannounced  inspections,  surveys  and
23    evaluations  of  a facility the Department shall consider one
24    or more of the following: previous  inspection  reports;  the
25    facility's  history  of  compliance with standards, rules and
26    regulations promulgated under  this  Act  and  correction  of
27    violations,  penalties  or  other  enforcement  actions;  the
28    number   and   severity  of  complaints  received  about  the
29    facility; any  allegations  of  resident  abuse  or  neglect;
30    weather  conditions;  health  emergencies;  other  reasonable
31    belief that deficiencies exist.
32        (b-1)  The  Department shall not be required to determine
33    whether a facility certified to participate in  the  Medicare
34    program  under Title XVIII of the Social Security Act, or the
 
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 1    Medicaid program under Title XIX of the Social Security  Act,
 2    and  which the Department determines by inspection under this
 3    Section  or  under  Section  3-702  of  this  Act  to  be  in
 4    compliance with the certification requirements of Title XVIII
 5    or XIX, is in compliance with any  requirement  of  this  Act
 6    that   is   less  stringent  than  or  duplicates  a  federal
 7    certification requirement.  In accordance with subsection (a)
 8    of this Section or  subsection  (d)  of  Section  3-702,  the
 9    Department shall determine whether a certified facility is in
10    compliance  with requirements of this Act that exceed federal
11    certification requirements.  If a certified facility is found
12    to  be  out  of   compliance   with   federal   certification
13    requirements, the results of an inspection conducted pursuant
14    to  Title XVIII or XIX of the Social Security Act may be used
15    as  the  basis  for  enforcement  remedies   authorized   and
16    commenced  under this Act.  Enforcement of this Act against a
17    certified  facility  shall  be  commenced  pursuant  to   the
18    requirements  of this Act, unless enforcement remedies sought
19    pursuant to Title XVIII or XIX of  the  Social  Security  Act
20    exceed  those  authorized  by  this  Act.   As  used  in this
21    subsection,  "enforcement  remedy"  means  a   sanction   for
22    violating a federal certification requirement or this Act.
23        (c)  Upon  completion  of  each  inspection,  survey  and
24    evaluation,   the   appropriate   Department   personnel  who
25    conducted the inspection, survey or evaluation shall submit a
26    copy of  their  report  to  the  licensee  upon  exiting  the
27    facility,   and   shall  submit  the  actual  report  to  the
28    appropriate regional office of the Department.   Such  report
29    and  any  recommendations  for action by the Department under
30    this Act shall be transmitted to the appropriate  offices  of
31    the  associate  director  of  the  Department,  together with
32    related comments or documentation provided  by  the  licensee
33    which  may  refute  findings  in  the  report,  which explain
34    extenuating  circumstances  that  the  facility   could   not
 
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 1    reasonably  have  prevented,  or  which  indicate methods and
 2    timetables for correction of deficiencies  described  in  the
 3    report.  Without  affecting the application of subsection (a)
 4    of Section  3-303,  any  documentation  or  comments  of  the
 5    licensee  shall  be provided within 10 days of receipt of the
 6    copy of the report.   Such  report  shall  recommend  to  the
 7    Director  appropriate  action  under this Act with respect to
 8    findings  against  a  facility.   The  Director  shall   then
 9    determine   whether   the   report's  findings  constitute  a
10    violation or violations of which the facility must  be  given
11    notice.   Such determination shall be based upon the severity
12    of the finding, the  danger  posed  to  resident  health  and
13    safety,  the  comments  and  documentation  provided  by  the
14    facility,  the diligence and efforts to correct deficiencies,
15    correction of the reported deficiencies,  the  frequency  and
16    duration  of  similar  findings  in  previous reports and the
17    facility's general inspection history.  Violations  shall  be
18    determined  under this subsection no later than 60 days after
19    completion of each inspection, survey and evaluation.
20        (d)  The Department shall maintain all inspection, survey
21    and evaluation reports for at  least  5  years  in  a  manner
22    accessible to and understandable by the public.
23    (Source: P.A.   88-278;  89-21,  eff.  1-1-96;  89-171,  eff.
24    1-1-96; 89-197, eff. 7-21-95; 89-626, eff. 8-9-96.)

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