Highlights 77th Texas Legislature - Senate

HEALTH AND HUMAN
SERVICES
Care
ERVICES/Long-Term
77 th Texas Legislature
Requires DHS to offer amelioration to a facility when the violation is not immediate jeopardy. Amelioration
allows the facility to take the penalty money otherwise paid to DHS and use it to improve the quality of care
and services to the residents.
Calls for a quality assurance fee to be assessed on ICF/MR facilities, initially on a per bed per day basis on
occupied beds. The money collected for this fee will be matched with federal dollars and returned to the
ICF/MR facilities. This section sunsets in 2005.
Requires the HHSC to ensure that the rules governing rates improve the quality of care through incentives
for direct care staffing, wages, and benefits.
Nonprofit Entities that Provide Long-Term Care or Health Benefit Plans - H.B. 393
by Representatives Maxey and Kitchen
Senate Sponsor: Senator Ellis
Nonprofit health care providers have historically served the needs of their community, including the needs
of uninsured individuals in the community. Access to high quality, affordable health care is a continuing
need in a state with over four million uninsured individuals and millions more individuals who do not have
adequate insurance. Changes in the health care market have caused a substantial number of nonprofit
health care providers and nonprofit health benefit plan providers to establish new ventures, affecting
hundreds of millions of charitable dollars.
Establishes certain duties and notification criteria for a nonprofit provider when restructuring, transferring, or
closing its facility.
Establishes the criteria that a nonprofit is assessed its fair market value and gross revenue receipts.
Provides that a nonprofit provider is a health care system, and each licensed hospital in that system is a
nonprofit provider.
Protection from Nursing Home or Intermediate Care Facility Retaliation - H.B. 482
by Representative Naishtat
Senate Sponsor: Senator Zaffirini
The 76th Legislature passed legislation protecting contract employees and volunteers from retaliation for
making complaints against a nursing home facility.
Extends the protection from retaliation to family members and guardians of residents in nursing home
facilities and to volunteers in intermediate care facilities and family members and guardians of residents in
intermediate care facilities.
Senate Research Center 136