SECTION 1. Chapter 111 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after section 72BB the following section:

Section 72CC.The department, through its division of health care facility licensure and certification, shall establish and implement a prescribed process and program for providing training and education to long term care providers licensed by the department under section 72. The training and education programs may include: infection prevention and control; development, implementation, adherence and review of comprehensive resident care plans; falls prevention; procedures to ensure timely notification of changes in a resident’s condition to the resident’s primary care physician; the prevention of abuse and neglect; development and implementation of a program to minimize the danger of workplace violence to employees; and review of the survey and inspection process. The department shall consult with the industry trade associations, before requiring any new regulatory guidance, regulation, interpretation, program letter or memorandum or any other materials used in surveyor training to survey licensed providers.

The process, training, and education shall include, but not be limited to, the following:

(i) annual training for long term care facilities on the licensure and certification process. This training shall include, but not be limited to, the department’s interpretation of the general laws, rules, regulations, procedures and policies concerning the licensure and certification process for such long-term care facilities;

(ii) biannual training of long-term care providers on the most frequently cited deficiencies, identified deficiency trends, both state and federal, and best practices to ensure resident quality of care; and

(iii) training of long-term care providers and the department survey inspectors jointly on the department's new expectations.

Trainings shall be interactive, with the sharing of information and recommendations between long term care facilities and the department on issues and topics.