Connecticut 2025 Regular Session

Connecticut Senate Bill SB01395 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1
2	2
3		-	LCO 5304 1 of 7
	3	+	LCO No. 5304 1 of 7
4	4
5	5		General Assembly Raised Bill No. 1395
6	6		January Session, 2025
7	7		LCO No. 5304
8	8
9	9
10	10		Referred to Committee on PUBLIC HEALTH
11	11
12	12
13	13		Introduced by:
14	14		(PH)
	15	+
15	16
16	17
17	18
18	19		AN ACT ESTABLISHING LICENSURE FOR LONG -TERM ACUTE
19	20		CARE HOSPITALS AND REQUIRING THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC
20	21		HEALTH TO STUDY THE DESIGNATION OF LONG -TERM CARE
21	22		FACILITIES AND CHRONIC DISEASE HOSPITALS.
22	23		Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
23	24		Assembly convened:
24	25
25	26		Section 1. Section 19a-490 of the general statutes is repealed and the 1
26	27		following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2025): 2
27	28		As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise requires: 3
28	29		(a) "Institution" means a hospital, short-term hospital special hospice, 4
29	30		hospice inpatient facility, residential care home, nursing home facility, 5
30	31		home health care agency, home health aide agency, behavioral health 6
31	32		facility, assisted living services agency, substance abuse treatment 7
32	33		facility, outpatient surgical facility, outpatient clinic, clinical laboratory, 8
33	34		blood collection facility, source plasma donation center, birth center, 9
34	35		long-term acute care hospital, an infirmary operated by an educational 10
35	36		institution for the care of students enrolled in, and faculty and 11
36	37		employees of, such institution; a facility engaged in providing services 12
37		-	for the prevention, diagnosis, treatment or care of human health 13 Raised Bill No. 1395
	38	+	for the prevention, diagnosis, treatment or care of human health 13
	39	+	Raised Bill No. 1395
38	40
39	41
40		-	LCO 5304 2 of 7
	42	+
	43	+	LCO No. 5304 2 of 7
41	44
42	45		conditions, including facilities operated and maintained by any state 14
43	46		agency; and a residential facility for persons with intellectual disability 15
44	47		licensed pursuant to section 17a-227 and certified to participate in the 16
45	48		Title XIX Medicaid program as an intermediate care facility for 17
46	49		individuals with intellectual disability. "Institution" does not include 18
47	50		any facility for the care and treatment of persons with mental illness or 19
48	51		substance use disorder operated or maintained by any state agency, 20
49	52		except Whiting Forensic Hospital and the hospital and psychiatric 21
50	53		residential treatment facility units of the Albert J. Solnit Children's 22
51	54		Center; 23
52	55		(b) "Hospital" means an establishment for the lodging, care and 24
53	56		treatment of persons suffering from disease or other abnormal physical 25
54	57		or mental conditions and includes inpatient psychiatric services in 26
55	58		general hospitals; 27
56	59		(c) "Residential care home" or "rest home" means a community 28
57	60		residence that furnishes, in single or multiple facilities, food and shelter 29
58	61		to two or more persons unrelated to the proprietor and, in addition, 30
59	62		provides services that meet a need beyond the basic provisions of food, 31
60	63		shelter and laundry and may qualify as a setting that allows residents to 32
61	64		receive home and community-based services funded by state and 33
62	65		federal programs; 34
63	66		(d) "Home health care agency" means a public or private 35
64	67		organization, or a subdivision thereof, engaged in providing 36
65	68		professional nursing services and the following services, available 37
66	69		twenty-four hours per day, in the patient's home or a substantially 38
67	70		equivalent environment: Home health aide services as defined in this 39
68	71		section, physical therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy or 40
69	72		medical social services. The agency shall provide professional nursing 41
70	73		services and at least one additional service directly and all others 42
71	74		directly or through contract. An agency shall be available to enroll new 43
72	75		patients seven days a week, twenty-four hours per day; 44
73		-	~~(e) "Home health aide agency" means a public or private 45~~ Raised Bill No. 1395
	76	+	Raised Bill No. 1395
74	77
75	78
76		-	LCO 5304 3 of 7
77	79
	80	+	LCO No. 5304 3 of 7
	81	+
	82	+	(e) "Home health aide agency" means a public or private 45
78	83		organization, except a home health care agency, which provides in the 46
79	84		patient's home or a substantially equivalent environment supportive 47
80	85		services which may include, but are not limited to, assistance with 48
81	86		personal hygiene, dressing, feeding and incidental household tasks 49
82	87		essential to achieving adequate household and family management. 50
83	88		Such supportive services shall be provided under the supervision of a 51
84	89		registered nurse and, if such nurse determines appropriate, shall be 52
85	90		provided by a social worker, physical therapist, speech therapist or 53
86	91		occupational therapist. Such supervision may be provided directly or 54
87	92		through contract; 55
88	93		(f) "Home health aide services" as defined in this section shall not 56
89	94		include services provided to assist individuals with activities of daily 57
90	95		living when such individuals have a disease or condition that is chronic 58
91	96		and stable as determined by a physician licensed in the state; 59
92	97		(g) "Behavioral health facility" means any facility that provides 60
93	98		mental health services to persons eighteen years of age or older or 61
94	99		substance use disorder services to persons of any age in an outpatient 62
95	100		treatment or residential setting to ameliorate mental, emotional, 63
96	101		behavioral or substance use disorder issues; 64
97	102		(h) "Clinical laboratory" means any facility or other area used for 65
98	103		microbiological, serological, chemical, hematological, 66
99	104		immunohematological, biophysical, cytological, pathological or other 67
100	105		examinations of human body fluids, secretions, excretions or excised or 68
101	106		exfoliated tissues for the purpose of providing information for the (1) 69
102	107		diagnosis, prevention or treatment of any human disease or 70
103	108		impairment, (2) assessment of human health, or (3) assessment of the 71
104	109		presence of drugs, poisons or other toxicological substances; 72
105	110		(i) "Person" means any individual, firm, partnership, corporation, 73
106	111		limited liability company or association; 74
107	112		(j) "Commissioner" means the Commissioner of Public Health or the 75
108		-	~~commissioner's designee; 76~~ Raised Bill No. 1395
	113	+	Raised Bill No. 1395
109	114
110	115
111		-	LCO 5304 4 of 7
112	116
	117	+	LCO No. 5304 4 of 7
	118	+
	119	+	commissioner's designee; 76
113	120		(k) "Home health agency" means an agency licensed as a home health 77
114	121		care agency or a home health aide agency; 78
115	122		(l) "Assisted living services agency" means an agency that provides 79
116	123		chronic and stable individuals with services that include, but need not 80
117	124		be limited to, nursing services and assistance with activities of daily 81
118	125		living and may have a dementia special care unit or program as defined 82
119	126		in section 19a-562; 83
120	127		(m) "Outpatient clinic" means an organization operated by a 84
121	128		municipality or a corporation, other than a hospital, that provides (1) 85
122	129		ambulatory medical care, including preventive and health promotion 86
123	130		services, (2) dental care, or (3) mental health services in conjunction with 87
124	131		medical or dental care for the purpose of diagnosing or treating a health 88
125	132		condition that does not require the patient's overnight care; 89
126	133		(n) "Multicare institution" means a hospital that provides outpatient 90
127	134		behavioral health services or other health care services, psychiatric 91
128	135		outpatient clinic for adults, free-standing facility for the care or 92
129	136		treatment of substance abusive or dependent persons, hospital for 93
130	137		psychiatric disabilities, as defined in section 17a-495, or a general acute 94
131	138		care hospital that provides outpatient behavioral health services that (1) 95
132	139		is licensed in accordance with this chapter, (2) has more than one facility 96
133	140		or one or more satellite units owned and operated by a single licensee, 97
134	141		and (3) offers complex patient health care services at each facility or 98
135	142		satellite unit. For purposes of this subsection, "satellite unit" means a 99
136	143		location where a segregated unit of services is provided by the multicare 100
137	144		institution; 101
138	145		(o) "Nursing home" or "nursing home facility" means (1) any chronic 102
139	146		and convalescent nursing home or any rest home with nursing 103
140	147		supervision that provides nursing supervision under a medical director 104
141	148		twenty-four hours per day, or (2) any chronic and convalescent nursing 105
142	149		home that provides skilled nursing care under medical supervision and 106
143		-	direction to carry out nonsurgical treatment and dietary procedures for 107
144		-	chronic diseases, convalescent stages, acute diseases or injuries; 108 Raised Bill No. 1395
	150	+	Raised Bill No. 1395
145	151
146	152
147		-	LCO 5304 5 of 7
148	153
	154	+	LCO No. 5304 5 of 7
	155	+
	156	+	direction to carry out nonsurgical treatment and dietary procedures for 107
	157	+	chronic diseases, convalescent stages, acute diseases or injuries; 108
149	158		(p) "Outpatient dialysis unit" means (1) an out-of-hospital out-patient 109
150	159		dialysis unit that is licensed by the department to provide (A) services 110
151	160		on an out-patient basis to persons requiring dialysis on a short-term 111
152	161		basis or for a chronic condition, or (B) training for home dialysis, or (2) 112
153	162		an in-hospital dialysis unit that is a special unit of a licensed hospital 113
154	163		designed, equipped and staffed to (A) offer dialysis therapy on an out-114
155	164		patient basis, (B) provide training for home dialysis, and (C) perform 115
156	165		renal transplantations; 116
157	166		(q) "Hospice agency" means a public or private organization that 117
158	167		provides home care and hospice services to terminally ill patients; 118
159	168		(r) "Psychiatric residential treatment facility" means a nonhospital 119
160	169		facility with a provider agreement with the Department of Social 120
161	170		Services to provide inpatient services to Medicaid-eligible individuals 121
162	171		under the age of twenty-one; 122
163	172		(s) "Chronic disease hospital" means a long-term hospital having 123
164	173		facilities, medical staff and all necessary personnel for the diagnosis, 124
165	174		care and treatment of chronic diseases; 125
166	175		(t) "Blood collection facility" means a facility that performs blood 126
167	176		component collection activities where blood is removed from a human 127
168	177		being for the purpose of administering such blood or any of its 128
169	178		components to any human being. "Blood collection facility" does not 129
170	179		include a facility that performs blood component collection activities to 130
171	180		collect source plasma or perform testing that would require licensure as 131
172	181		a clinical laboratory. For the purposes of this subsection, "source 132
173	182		plasma" means the liquid portion of human blood collected by 133
174	183		plasmapheresis and intended as source material for further 134
175	184		manufacturing use and does not include single donor plasma products 135
176	185		intended for intravenous use, and "plasmapheresis" means a procedure 136
177	186		in which blood is removed from a blood donor, the plasma is separated 137
	187	+	Raised Bill No. 1395
	188	+
	189	+
	190	+
	191	+	LCO No. 5304 6 of 7
	192	+
178	193		from the formed elements and at least the red blood cells are returned 138
179	194		to the blood donor at the time of the donation; 139
180		-	(u) "Source plasma donation center" means a facility where source 140 Raised Bill No. 1395
181		-
182		-
183		-	LCO 5304 6 of 7
184		-
	195	+	(u) "Source plasma donation center" means a facility where source 140
185	196		plasma is collected by plasmapheresis. For the purposes of this 141
186	197		subsection, "source plasma" means the liquid portion of human blood 142
187	198		collected by plasmapheresis and intended as source material for further 143
188	199		manufacturing use and does not include single donor plasma products 144
189	200		intended for intravenous use, and "plasmapheresis" means a procedure 145
190	201		in which blood is removed from a blood donor, the plasma is separated 146
191	202		from the formed elements and at least the red blood cells are returned 147
192	203		to the blood donor at the time of the donation; [and] 148
193	204		(v) "Birth center" means a freestanding facility that is licensed by the 149
194	205		department (1) to provide perinatal, labor, delivery and postpartum 150
195	206		care during and immediately after delivery to persons presenting with 151
196	207		a low-risk pregnancy and healthy newborns for a period typically less 152
197	208		than twenty-four hours, and (2) that is not a hospital licensed pursuant 153
198	209		to the provisions of this chapter, or attached to or located in such a 154
199	210		hospital. For the purposes of this subsection, "low-risk pregnancy" 155
200	211		means an uncomplicated, singleton pregnancy that has vertex 156
201	212		presentation and is at low risk for developing complications during 157
202	213		labor and birth, as determined by an evaluation and examination 158
203	214		conducted by a licensed health care provider acting within the scope of 159
204	215		such provider's practice; and 160
205	216		(w) "Long-term acute care hospital" means a hospital that is a long-161
206	217		term care hospital, as defined in 42 USC 1395x, as amended from time 162
207	218		to time. 163
208	219		Sec. 2. (Effective from passage) The Commissioner of Public Health shall 164
209	220		conduct a study of the regulatory framework of long-term acute care 165
210		-	hospitals, including, but not limited to, (1) any regulatory burdens, such 166
	221	+	hospitals, including, but not limited to, (1) any regulatory burdens such 166
211	222		as duplicative employee fingerprinting requirements, (2) the 167
212	223		appropriateness of current oversight mechanisms, and (3) any 168
	224	+	Raised Bill No. 1395
	225	+
	226	+
	227	+
	228	+	LCO No. 5304 7 of 7
	229	+
213	230		regulatory inconsistencies and their impact on the ability of such 169
214	231		hospitals to deliver timely and effective care. Not later than January 1, 170
215	232		2026, the commissioner shall submit a report, in accordance with the 171
216	233		provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes, on the results of the 172
217		-	study and any recommendations for legislative action as a result of such 173 Raised Bill No. 1395
218		-
219		-
220		-	LCO 5304 7 of 7
221		-
	234	+	study and any recommendations for legislative action as a result of such 173
222	235		study to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having 174
223	236		cognizance of matters relating to public health. 175
224	237		This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
225	238		sections:
226	239
227	240		Section 1 October 1, 2025 19a-490
228	241		Sec. 2 from passage New section
229	242
230		-	PH Joint Favorable
	243	+	Statement of Purpose:
	244	+	To establish a licensure category for long-term acute care hospitals and
	245	+	require the Department of Public Health to study the designation of
	246	+	long-term care facilities and chronic disease hospitals.
	247	+
	248	+	[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except
	249	+	that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not
	250	+	underlined.]
231	251