The federal government recently revised rules for nursing homes across the country.
Here are five things to know about the rules.
1. The rules were proposed in late 2016 by HHS Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell.
2. They take effect in three phases, the first of which kicked in last November, according to a Kaiser Health News report.
3. The rules allow residents and their families "to be much more engaged in the design of their care plan and the design of their discharge plans," David Gifford, a senior vice president at the American Health Care Association, which represents nearly 12,000 long-term-care facilities, told the publication.
4. The regulations now in effect say nursing home residents are entitled to "alternative meals and snacks … at non-traditional times or outside of scheduled meal times," and allow residents to pick their roommates, according to the report.
5. Kaiser Health News also reports on various other regulations now in effect, which include:
- Nursing homes must appoint an official who will address complaints.
- A nursing home resident has the right "to receive visitors of his or her choosing at the time of his or her choosing," as long as this visitation doesn't impose on another resident's rights.
- Nursing home residents can no longer be discharged while appealing the discharge, and they cannot be discharged for non-payment if they have applied for Medicaid or other insurance, are waiting for a payment decision or appeal a claim denial, according to the report.
- The definition of abuse now includes financial exploitation.
- Nursing homes must have enough skilled and competent staff to meet residents' needs.
For more on this story, read Susan Jaffe's full report in Kaiser Health News.