LEGAL UPDATE
Senators Introduce Bill for Nationwide Background Checks of Long-Term Care Workers
Sen. Herb Kohl (D-WI), Chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, and Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM) recently were joined by Sens. Claire McCaskill (D-MO), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), Carl Levin (D-MI) and Hillary Clinton (D-NY) in introducing the Patient Safety and Abuse Prevention Act of 2007.
The bill aims to prevent individuals with criminal histories from working in long-term care settings by establishing a nationwide system of background checks. The proposed system would not only coordinate abuse and neglect registries with state law enforcement registries, it also would cross-reference applicants with the FBI's national database.
The Act is based on successful screening pilot programs in Michigan, New Mexico and five other states. The pilot programs were started under the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA) in order to implement efficient, cost-effective systems for screening out certain applicants in long-term care facilities. Excluded applicants are those who have a background that includes findings of substantiated abuse and/or a serious criminal history.
Thus far, the pilot programs have been very successful. In the first year of operation alone, Michigan excluded more than 3,000 people with records of abuse or a disqualifying criminal history.
The MMA pilot programs are scheduled to end in September, creating a more immediate need for the passage of the Patient Safety and Abuse Prevention Act of 2007. The bill is supported by the Elder Justice Coalition, the National Citizen's Coalition for Nursing Home Reform, the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging, AARP and other organizations dedicated to the care and protection of our nation's senior citizens.
(Source: http://www.napbs.com)
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