SENATE DOCKET, NO. 841        FILED ON: 1/16/2019

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 708

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Joan B. Lovely

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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act relative to the continuous skilled nursing program.

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PETITION OF:

SENATE DOCKET, NO. 841        FILED ON: 1/16/2019

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 708

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninety-First General Court
(2019-2020)

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An Act relative to the continuous skilled nursing program.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1. MassHealth, through its home health care agency program, shall perform a rate review for every child and adult in the Commonwealth who is eligible for or receives care under the continuous skilled nursing program, with a medically complex health condition or special health needs requiring specialized care in all settings. Said rate review shall be submitted as a report to the house and senate committees on ways and means no later than December 31 of 2021 and every two years thereafter.  Said report shall take into consideration the ability of a provider to compete for the median of nurses in the Commonwealth and shall include, but may not be limited to: the raw data relative to the number of patients who have received eighty percent or less of the continuous skilled nursing hours for which they have been deemed eligible; and a plan by which MassHealth intends to reduce the number of unfilled continuous skills nursing hours.