Do you have the right people in place to initiate and enforce the updated regulations that will impact Pennsylvania skilled nursing facilities starting July 1, 2023?

Pennsylvania will be rolling out the newly revised Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) regulatory changes which will begin being enforced on July 1, 2023. These proposed changes, which have been evolving since July 2021, were adopted by the PA Department of Health (DOH) in December 2022. These significant changes will impact the daily operations of SNFs and how they are surveyed. The changes effect six chapters of the Commonwealth’s long-term care nursing facility regulations including two areas referring to Admissions and Resident rights.  

These regulation changes can be found in the “State Operations Manual, Appendix PP”. The changes include:

Admission changes:

  • New residents must be introduced to professional nursing staff and direct care staff within two hours of admission.
  • New resident orientation to key elements of the facility such as the location of the nurses’ station, assigning a social worker to the resident, showing the dining room location, and the location of complaint officer must be completed within 2 hours of admission.
  • New residents must be provided the description of facility routines and identification of resident specified routines within 24 hours of admission.
  • Assist the newly admitted resident with establishing a homelike environment and securing their personal possessions in their room within 72 hours of admission.

Resident Rights changes

  • The facility’s developed policies of resident rights and responsibilities must include the resident and there must be a written acknowledgment that the resident received notification of rights and responsibilities with documentation in the resident record.
  • Resident rights are protected under the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act and the affordable care act.

    While these changes aren’t set to be implemented until July 2023, they will be surveyed by the DOH after the implementation date. 

    Do you need assistance with reviewing your policies to ensure that you will be compliant with these regulations changes when they take effect? LW Consulting, Inc. (LWCI) can assist you with reviewing, updating, and writing new policies; auditing your facility for compliance; and placing key management team members that can move your facility forward.