HB-4062,As Passed House,Mar 27, 2003

SUBSTITUTE FOR

HOUSE BILL NO. 4062

                                                                             A bill to amend 1978 PA 368, entitled                                             

"Public health code,"                                                       

by amending section 21799a (MCL 333.21799a).                                

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

1       Sec. 21799a.  (1) A person who believes that this part, a                   

2   rule promulgated under this part, or a federal certification                

3   regulation applying to a nursing home may have been violated may            

4   request an investigation of a nursing home.  The request  shall

5   may be submitted to the department of consumer and industry                 

6   services as a written complaint, or the department of consumer              

7   and industry services shall assist  the a person in reducing an            

8   oral request made under subsection (2) to a written complaint               

9   within 7 days after the oral request is made as provided in               

10  subsection (2).                                                             

11  (2) The department of consumer and industry services shall                  

1   provide a toll-free telephone consumer complaint line.  The                 

2   complaint line shall be accessible 24 hours per day and monitored           

3   at a level to ensure that each priority complaint is identified             

4   and that a response is initiated to each priority complaint                 

5   within 24 hours after its receipt.  The department of consumer              

6   and industry services shall establish a system for the complaint            

7   line that includes at least all of the following:                           

8       (a) An intake form that serves as a written complaint for                   

9   purposes of subsections (1) and (5).                                        

10      (b) The forwarding of an intake form to an investigator not                 

11  later than the next business day after the complaint is                     

12  identified as a priority complaint.                                         

13      (c) Except for an anonymous complaint, the forwarding of a                  

14  copy of the completed intake form to the complainant not later              

15  than 5 business days after it is completed.

16  (3)  (2)  The substance of  the a complaint shall be                       

17  provided to the licensee no earlier than at the commencement of             

18  the on-site inspection of the nursing home  which that takes               

19  place  pursuant in response to the complaint.                              

20  (4)  (3) The A complaint, a copy of  the a complaint, or a                

21  record published, released, or otherwise disclosed to the nursing           

22  home shall not disclose the name of the complainant or a patient            

23  named in the complaint unless the complainant or patient consents           

24  in writing to the disclosure or the investigation results in an             

25  administrative hearing or a judicial proceeding, or unless                  

26  disclosure is considered essential to the investigation by the              

27  department.  If disclosure is considered essential to the                   

1   investigation, the complainant shall be given the opportunity to            

2   withdraw the complaint before disclosure.                                   

3   (5)  (4)  Upon receipt of a complaint under subsection (1) or               

4   (2), the department of consumer and industry services shall                 

5   determine, based on the allegations presented, whether this part,           

6   a rule promulgated under this part, or a federal certification              

7   regulation for nursing homes has been, is being, or is in danger            

8   of being violated.   The Subject to subsection (2), the

9   department of consumer and industry services shall investigate              

10  the complaint according to the urgency determined by the                    

11  department of consumer and industry services.  The initiation of            

12  a complaint investigation shall commence within 15 days after               

13  receipt of the written complaint by the department of consumer              

14  and industry services.                                                      

15  (6)  (5)  If, at any time, the department of consumer and                   

16  industry services determines that this part, a rule promulgated             

17  under this part, or a federal certification regulation for                  

18  nursing homes has been violated, the department of consumer and             

19  industry services shall list the violation and the provisions               

20  violated on the state and federal licensure and certification               

21  forms for nursing homes.  The violations shall be considered, as            

22  evidenced by a written explanation, by the department of consumer           

23  and industry services when it makes a licensure and certification           

24  decision or recommendation.                                                 

25  (7)  (6)  In all cases, the department of consumer and                      

26  industry services shall inform the complainant of its findings              

27  unless otherwise indicated by the complainant.   Within Subject            

1   to subsection (2), within 30 days after the receipt of complaint,           

2   the department of consumer and industry services shall provide              

3   the complainant a copy, if any, of the written determination, the           

4   correction notice, the warning notice, and the state licensure or           

5   federal certification form, or both, on which the violation is              

6   listed, or a status report indicating when these documents may be           

7   expected.  The final report shall include a copy of the original            

8   complaint.  The complainant may request additional copies of the            

9   documents listed in this subsection and shall reimburse the                 

10  department of consumer and industry services for the copies in              

11  accord with established policies and procedures.                            

12  (8)  (7)  A written determination, correction notice, or                    

13  warning notice concerning a complaint shall be available for                

14  public inspection, but the name of the complainant or patient               

15  shall not be disclosed without the complainant's or patient's               

16  consent.                                                                    

17  (9)  (8)  A violation discovered as a result of the complaint               

18  investigation procedure shall be reported to persons                        

19  administering sections 21799c to 21799e.  The violation shall be            

20  assessed a penalty as described in this act.                                

21  (10)  (9)  A complainant who is dissatisfied with the                       

22  department of consumer and industry services' determination or              

23  investigation  by the department  may request a hearing.  A                 

24  request for a hearing shall be submitted in writing to the                  

25  director within 30 days after the mailing of the  department's

26  department of consumer and industry services' findings as                   

27  described in subsection  (6) (7).  Notice of the time and place            

1   of the hearing shall be sent to the complainant and the nursing             

2   home.                                                                       

3   (11) As used in this section, "priority complaint" means a                  

4   complaint alleging an existing situation that involves physical,            

5   mental, or emotional abuse, mistreatment, or harmful neglect of a           

6   resident that requires immediate corrective action to prevent               

7   serious injury, serious harm, serious impairment, or death of a             

8   resident while receiving care in a facility.