Public Act 0080 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HB0809 Enrolled LRB095 09630 DRJ 29830 b

Public Act 095-0080

AN ACT concerning regulation.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 2. The Illinois Act on the Aging is amended by changing Section 4.03 as follows:

(20 ILCS 105/4.03) (from Ch. 23, par. 6104.03)

Sec. 4.03. The Department on Aging, in cooperation with the Department of Human Services and any other appropriate State, local or federal agency, shall, without regard to income guidelines, establish a nursing home prescreening program to determine whether Alzheimer's Disease and related disorders victims, and persons who are deemed as blind or disabled as defined by the Social Security Act and who are in need of long term care, may be satisfactorily cared for in their homes through the use of home and community based services. Responsibility for prescreening shall be vested with case coordination units. Prescreening shall occur: (i) when hospital discharge planners have advised the case coordination unit of the imminent risk of nursing home placement of a patient who meets the above criteria and in advance of discharge of the patient; or (ii) when a case coordination unit has been advised of the imminent risk of nursing home placement of an individual in the community. The individual who is prescreened shall be informed of all appropriate options, including placement in a nursing home and the availability of in-home and community-based services and shall be advised of her or his right to refuse nursing home, in-home, community-based, or all services. Case coordination units under contract with the Department may charge a fee for the prescreening provided under this Section and the fee shall be no greater than the cost of such services to the case coordination unit.

(Source: P.A. 89-21, eff. 7-1-95; 89-507, eff. 7-1-97.)

Section 5. The Hospital Licensing Act is amended by changing Section 6.09 as follows:

(210 ILCS 85/6.09) (from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 147.09)

Sec. 6.09. (a) In order to facilitate the orderly transition of aged and disabled patients from hospitals to post-hospital care, whenever a patient who qualifies for the federal Medicare program is hospitalized, the patient shall be notified of discharge at least 24 hours prior to discharge from the hospital. With regard to pending discharges to a skilled nursing facility, the hospital must notify the case coordination unit, as defined in 89 Ill. Adm. Code 240.260, at least 24 hours prior to discharge or, if home health services are ordered, the hospital must inform its designated case coordination unit, as defined in 89 Ill. Adm. Code 240.260, of the pending discharge and must provide the patient with the case coordination unit's telephone number and other contact information.

(b) Every hospital shall develop procedures for a physician with medical staff privileges at the hospital or any appropriate medical staff member to provide the discharge notice prescribed in subsection (a) of this Section. The procedures must include prohibitions against discharging or referring a patient to any of the following if unlicensed, uncertified, or unregistered: (i) a board and care facility, as defined in the Board and Care Home Registration Act; (ii) an assisted living and shared housing establishment, as defined in the Assisted Living and Shared Housing Act; (iii) a facility licensed under the Nursing Home Care Act; (iv) a supportive living facility, as defined in Section 5-5.01a of the Illinois Public Aid Code; or (v) a free-standing hospice facility licensed under the Hospice Program Licensing Act if licensure, certification, or registration is required. The Department of Public Health shall annually provide hospitals with a list of licensed, certified, or registered board and care facilities, assisted living and shared housing establishments, nursing homes, supportive living facilities, and hospice facilities. Reliance upon this list by a hospital shall satisfy compliance with this requirement. The procedure may also include a waiver for any case in which a discharge notice is not feasible due to a short length of stay in the hospital by the patient, or for any case in which the patient voluntarily desires to leave the hospital before the expiration of the 24 hour period.

(c) At least 24 hours prior to discharge from the hospital, the patient shall receive written information on the patient's right to appeal the discharge pursuant to the federal Medicare program, including the steps to follow to appeal the discharge and the appropriate telephone number to call in case the patient intends to appeal the discharge.

(Source: P.A. 94-335, eff. 7-26-05.)

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.

Effective Date: 8/13/2007