Infection control and quality measurement were the continued focus of state-level assisted living regulations and legislation from mid-2023 to mid-2024, according to a report issued Thursday by the National Center for Assisted Living.
The 2024 edition of the “Assisted Living State Regulatory Review” revealed that assisted living regulations and legislation in 15 states (29%) were updated between July 1, 2023, and July 1, 2024.
The 2023 report — which had found that 20 states (31%) had updated their regulations, statutes and policies during the period covered by the report — included three new topic areas: infection control, emergency preparedness and quality requirements. In the past year, two of those three new topic areas, infection control and quality, saw an increase in the number of states adopting regulatory requirements.
NCAL said it was “encouraged” to see the increasing number of states with regulations in place related to infection control and quality measures; 45 states and Washington, DC, (88% of entities) have infection control requirements in place, whereas 25 states (49%) have quality measurement, data collection or quality measurement requirements.
“State oversight allows assisted living providers to continue to meet the unique needs of residents and deliver high-quality care,” NCAL Executive Director LaShuan Bethea said in a statement. “We support and are pleased to see ongoing collaboration between providers, state regulators, and key stakeholders that helps ensure accountability and innovation.”
The report, including an executive summary and breakout state summaries — gives the sector better insight into how states are working with assisted living providers to promote better care delivery for residents, according to NCAL Director of Policy and Regulatory Affairs Jill Schewe.
“It is encouraging to see updates being made to adapt to the current needs of residents in each state, and we are confident this trend will continue,” she said.
The report cited data showing that approximately 48% of assisted living communities are Medicaid-certified to be home- and community-based services providers, whereas almost 18% of assisted living residents depend on Medicaid to cover their daily care.
The publication provides summaries of select state requirements for assisted living licensure and certification, including information on the state agencies that license assisted living, as well as recent legislative and regulatory updates affecting assisted living, the scope of care, limitations of service, staffing, training and more. Some states refer to assisted living as residential care or personal care homes, so the report also has information on those settings, as well as information about person-centred supportive services or healthcare services for older adults and people living with disabilities.
NCAL said that in the future, the report, which is available online, will be updated quarterly with information about states reporting regulatory or legislative changes that became effective in the previous quarter.
Source: McKnights Seniorliving
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