Operators see once-in-a-generation tort reform and new ownership rules designed to attract “good” nursing home operators as a key win in the Legislative Council, which has plenty for the skilled care sector. admired.
Brent Willett, CEO of the Iowa Association of Nursing Homes, described the effort as an effort by legislators who moved quickly “to address the long-term care access crisis.”
“Post-pandemic, Iowa wants to be the premier destination for the nation’s highest quality care home operators,” Willett said in an email. McKnight Long Term Care News Thursday.
Gov. Kim Reynolds, a Republican, made medical malpractice reform a priority for Congress, saying in a national campaign address in January that the reform could be particularly helpful for rural health care providers with limited access to medical facilities. suggested. The new law caps the non-financial damages or damages for pain, suffering and emotional distress an individual can receive through a malpractice lawsuit against an individual physician, including doctors in clinics and nursing homes, at 100. million dollars.
Mr Willett explained: LinkedIn as “intergenerational tort reform to expel lawyers who make a living out of putting nursing homes out of business.”
A new law was also enacted.[c]It’s a common-sense change-of-ownership process reform to attract the good operators and keep the bad guys out,” Willett wrote. This action, the Change of Ownership Update, clarifies that providers new to the state must submit additional information to review the applicant’s financial stability and regulatory performance in other states. has been made Additional documentation includes information about ownership structures such as all individuals with decision-making authority.
Several states have adopted such rules prior to or in parallel with federal efforts to increase ownership transparency.
In Iowa, applicants must submit at least three years of operating and statistical documentation, including the project’s initial cash and liquid assets, to prove their financial fitness to operate a nursing home, Willett said. rice field. McKnights. Applicants must also prove that they have not voluntarily relinquished their licenses in other states and include any license complaints, allegations, or investigations from other jurisdictions.
According to the Iowa Medical Association, Congress also issued a one-year moratorium certificate, which is scheduled to begin on July 1, and asked regulators to update their formulas to calculate the number of beds needed and expected supply and demand. given time to better match A suspension may be waived if you have “special needs” or if the average occupancy of all licensed beds in your county or in an adjacent county exceeds 85%.
“From both a policy and spending perspective, we have made this a memorable and most important move in working towards the best interest of providing access to quality care for Iowa’s older adults. We would characterize it as one of the finest Congresses,” said Willett.
The state legislature closed on May 4.
