to qualify for licensure; requiring nursing facilities to employ certain individuals
for certain positions; specifying certain duties that certain individuals may not
perform; specifying the staffing to resident ratio requirements for nursing
facilities; requiring nursing facilities to post certain information in certain areas
of the facility on a certain form developed by the Department of Health and
Mental Hygiene; providing for certain penalties; providing for the application of
this Act; requiring the Department to conduct a certain study and to report to
the General Assembly by a certain date; authorizing the Department to adopt
certain regulations; defining a certain term; and generally relating to staffing
requirements for nursing facilities providing that certain payments to nursing
facilities for reserving beds for Maryland Medical Assistance Program recipients
may not include payment for certain nursing services; repealing the
requirement that certain payments to nursing facilities for reserving beds for
Program recipients may not be less than a certain amount; requiring that
savings resulting from certain provisions of this Act be used for a certain
purpose; establishing a Task Force on Quality of Care in Nursing Facilities;
specifying the membership of the Task Force; specifying the duties of the Task
Force; requiring the Task Force to make certain recommendations and to take
into account and examine certain issues; requiring the Secretary of the
Department of Aging to chair the Task Force; requiring the Department of Aging
to provide staff support for the Task Force; requiring the Task Force to submit a
certain report on or before a certain date; providing for the termination of the
Task. Force; providing for the termination of certain provisions of this Act;
requiring the Health Care Access and Cost Commission, in consultation with the
Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and the Department of Aging, to
develop a system to comparatively evaluate nursing facility quality of care and
performance on an objective basis and to annually publish certain summary
findings; establishing the purpose of the comparative evaluation system;
requiring the Commission to consider a certain factor in developing the system;
requiring the system to solicit certain information under certain circumstances;
authorizing the Commission to adopt certain regulations; requiring a certain
report on or before a certain date; and generally relating to the reservation of
beds for Program recipients and quality of care in nursing facilities.

BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments;
Article—Health—General
Section 19-319(a)
Annotated Code of Maryland

(1996 Replacement Volume and 1998 Supplement)

BY adding to

Article—Health—General
Section 19-319.3
Annotated Code of Maryland

(1996 Replacement Volume and 1998 Supplement)
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments,