BILL ANALYSIS

 

 

Senate Research Center

H.B. 2588

84R24498 JSC-D

By: Naishtat; Guillen (Zaffirini)

 

Health & Human Services

 

5/14/2015

 

Engrossed

 

 

 

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

 

Currently, nursing homes and assisted living facilities may advertise, market, or otherwise promote care specifically for persons with Alzheimer's and related disorders with or without holding a specific certification to provide these services. Advertising and marketing strategies can be confusing and leave a family uninformed.

 

H.B. 2588 requires nursing homes and assisted living facilities that provide specialized care and treatment to residents with Alzheimer's and related disorders to disclose if a facility is certified for the provision of personal care and treatment of Alzheimer's and other disorders in the facility's disclosure statement. What's more, the bill requires the executive commissioner of the Health and Human Services Commission to adopt any rules prescribing the disclosures required in the bill.

 

H.B. 2588 amends current law relating to disclosures by nursing facilities and assisted living facilities regarding certification or classification to provide specialized care, treatment, or personal care services to residents with Alzheimer's disease or related disorders, and adds requirements for an occupational license.

 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

 

Rulemaking authority is expressly granted to the executive commissioner of the Health and Human Services Commission in SECTION 3 of this bill.

 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

 

SECTION 1. Amends Section 242.202(d), Health and Safety Code, as follows:

 

(d) Includes information relating to whether the institution is certified under Section 242.040 (Certification of Institutions that Care for Persons With Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders) for the provision of specialized care and treatment of residents with Alzheimer's disease and related disorders among the information a certain disclosure statement is required to contain. Makes nonsubstantive changes.

 

SECTION 2. Amends Section 247.026, Health and Safety Code, by adding Subsection (c-1) to require the executive commissioner of the Health and Human Services Commission (executive commissioner) to require each assisted living facility to include in the facility's consumer disclosure statement whether the facility holds a license classified under Section 247.029 (Facilities for Persons With Alzheimer’s Disease) for the provision of personal care services to residents with Alzheimer's disease or related disorders.

 

SECTION 3. Requires the executive commissioner, as soon as practicable after the effective date of this Act, to adopt any necessary rules prescribing the form of the disclosures under Sections 242.202 and 247.026, Health and Safety Code, as amended by this Act.

 

SECTION 4. Provides that the change in law made by this Act applies to disclosures provided on or after January 1, 2016.

 

SECTION 5.  Effective date: September 1, 2015.