HB-4079,As Passed House,Mar 18, 2003

SUBSTITUTE FOR

HOUSE BILL NO. 4079

                                                                             A bill to amend 1978 PA 368, entitled                                             

"Public health code,"                                                       

by amending sections 20194 and 21799a (MCL 333.20194 and                    

333.21799a), section 20194 as added by 1993 PA 79.                          

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

1       Sec. 20194.  (1)  A Subject to subsections (2), (3), and                   

2   (4), a health facility or agency, except a health facility or               

3   agency licensed under part 209, and including a health facility             

4   that is not licensed under this article but holds itself out as             

5   providing medical services, shall conspicuously display in the              

6   patient waiting areas or other common areas of the health                   

7   facility or agency copies of a pamphlet  provided developed by             

8   the department of  public health consumer and industry services

9   outlining the procedure for filing a complaint against a health             

10  facility or agency with the department  of public health  and the           

1   procedure for filing a complaint  with the department of                    

2   commerce  against  a person an individual who is licensed or               

3   registered under article 15 and employed by, under contract to,             

4   or granted privileges by the health facility or agency.  The                

5   pamphlet shall be  prepared developed and distributed by the               

6   department of  public health in consultation with in consultation           

7   with the department of commerce and consumer and industry                  

8   services after consultation with appropriate professional                   

9   associations.                                                               

10  (2) The department of  public health consumer and industry                 

11  services shall  print develop the pamphlets required under                 

12  subsection (1) in languages that are appropriate to the ethnic              

13  composition of the patient population where the pamphlet will be            

14  displayed.  The department shall use large, easily readable type            

15  and nontechnical, easily understood language in the pamphlet.               

16  The department shall periodically distribute copies of the                  

17  pamphlet to each health facility or agency and to each unlicensed           

18  health facility described in subsection (1).                                

19      (3) The department of consumer and industry services shall                  

20  include a model standardized complaint form in the pamphlet                 

21  described in subsection (1).  The department may develop a                  

22  separate model standardized complaint form that is specific to a            

23  particular health facility or agency or category of health                  

24  facilities and agencies.  The department shall develop a model              

25  standardized complaint form that is specific to nursing homes.              

26  The department shall include on the model standardized complaint            

27  form, at a minimum, simple instructions on how to file a                    

House Bill No. 4079 (H-2) as amended March 13, 2003

1   complaint, including with the nursing home as required under                

2   section 21723, the department, the state long-term care                     

3   ombudsman, the Michigan protection and advocacy service [, inc.], and the   

4   health care fraud unit of the department of attorney general.               

5   The department shall distribute copies of the model standardized            

6   complaint form simultaneously with copies of the pamphlet as                

7   required under subsection (2).  The nursing home shall                      

8   conspicuously display and make available multiple copies of the             

9   pamphlet and model standardized complaint form with the complaint           

10  information required to be posted under section 21723 in the                

11  patient waiting areas or other common areas of the nursing home             

12  that are easily accessible to nursing home patients and their               

13  visitors, as described in subsection (1) [, and shall provide a copy of the pamphlet and complaint form to each nursing home resident or the resident's surrogate decision maker upon admission to the nursing home].  The department shall    

14  include on the model standardized complaint form a telephone                

15  number for the receipt of oral complaints.

16  (4) The department may continue to distribute the complaint                 

17  pamphlets within its possession on the effective date of the                

18  amendatory act that added this subsection until the department's            

19  stock is exhausted or until October 1, 2003, whichever is                   

20  sooner.  Beginning October 1, 2003, the department shall only               

21  distribute the complaint pamphlets and model standardized                   

22  complaint forms that are in compliance with subsections (2) and             

23  (3).                                                                        

24      (5) The department shall make the complaint pamphlet and the                

25  model standardized complaint form available to the public on the            

26  department's internet website.  The department shall take                   

27  affirmative action toward the development and implementation of             

1   an electronic filing system that would allow an individual to               

2   file a complaint through the website.

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

4   rule promulgated under this part, or a federal certification                

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

6   request an investigation of a nursing home.  The person shall               

7   submit the request  shall be submitted for investigation to the            

8   department of consumer and industry services as a written                   

9   complaint, or the department shall assist the person in reducing            

10  an oral request to a written complaint within 7 days after the              

11  oral request is made.  A person filing a complaint under this               

12  subsection may file the complaint on a model standardized                   

13  complaint form developed and distributed by the department under            

14  section 20194(3) or file the complaint as provided by the                   

15  department on the internet.

16      (2) The substance of  the a complaint filed under subsection               

17  (1) shall be provided to the licensee no earlier than at the                

18  commencement of the on-site inspection of the nursing home                  

19  which that takes place pursuant to the complaint.                         

20      (3)  The A complaint filed under subsection (1), a copy of                 

21  the complaint, or a record published, released, or otherwise                

22  disclosed to the nursing home shall not disclose the name of the            

23  complainant or a patient named in the complaint unless the                  

24  complainant or patient consents in writing to the disclosure or             

25  the investigation results in an administrative hearing or a                 

26  judicial proceeding, or unless disclosure is considered essential           

27  to the investigation by the department of consumer and industry             

1   services.  If the department considers disclosure  is considered

2   essential to the investigation, the department shall give the

3   complainant  shall be given  the opportunity to withdraw the                

4   complaint before disclosure.                                                

5       (4) Upon receipt of a complaint under subsection (1), the                   

6   department of consumer and industry services shall determine,               

7   based on the allegations presented, whether this part, a rule               

8   promulgated under this part, or a federal certification                     

9   regulation for nursing homes has been, is, or is in danger of               

10  being violated.  The department shall investigate the complaint             

11  according to the urgency determined by the department.  The                 

12  initiation of a complaint investigation shall commence within 15            

13  days after receipt of the written complaint by the department.              

14      (5) If, at any time, the department of consumer and industry                

15  services determines that this part, a rule promulgated under this           

16  part, or a federal certification regulation for nursing homes has           

17  been violated, the department shall list the violation and the              

18  provisions violated on the state and federal licensure and                  

19  certification forms for nursing homes.  The department shall                

20  consider the violations,  shall be considered,  as evidenced by a           

21  written explanation,  by the department  when it makes a                    

22  licensure and certification decision or recommendation.                     

23      (6) In all cases, the department of consumer and industry                   

24  services shall inform the complainant of its findings unless                

25  otherwise indicated by the complainant.  Within 30 days after               

26  the  receipt of the complaint, the department shall provide the            

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

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

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

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

4   expected.  The department shall include in the final report                 

5   shall include  a copy of the original complaint.  The                      

6   complainant may request additional copies of the documents                  

7   listed described in this subsection and upon receipt shall                

8   reimburse the department for the copies in  accord accordance

9   with established policies and procedures.                                   

10      (7)  A The department of consumer and industry services                    

11  shall make a written determination, correction notice, or warning           

12  notice concerning a complaint  shall be  available for public               

13  inspection, but the department shall not disclose the name of the           

14  complainant or patient  shall not be disclosed  without the                 

15  complainant's or patient's consent.                                         

16      (8)  A The department of consumer and industry services                    

17  shall report a violation discovered as a result of the complaint            

18  investigation procedure  shall be reported  to persons                      

19  administering sections 21799c to 21799e.  The department shall              

20  assess a penalty for a violation,  shall be assessed a penalty

21  as  described in prescribed by this  act article.                         

22      (9) A complainant who is dissatisfied with the determination                

23  or investigation by the department of consumer and industry                 

24  services may request a hearing.  A complainant shall submit a

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

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

27  findings as described in subsection (6).   Notice The department           

1   shall send notice of the time and place of the hearing  shall be            

2   sent  to the complainant and the nursing home.