Bill > HB598

This bill modifies regulations for inspections of health care facilities licensed by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, primarily increasing the number of mandatory annual inspections from one to two per year for residential care, assisted living, intermediate care, and skilled nursing facilities. The bill emphasizes that these inspections must be unannounced and conducted at unpredictable times to prevent facilities from preparing in advance. Additionally, the bill introduces stricter conflict of interest provisions for inspectors, requiring them to disclose any previous employment at long-term care facilities and preventing them from inspecting facilities where they worked within the past two years. The legislation also mandates that inspectors disclose if immediate family members work in such facilities, and provides a mechanism for the public to report potential conflicts of interest. If such conflicts are substantiated, the department must reassign inspectors to avoid bias. The bill further stipulates that any department employee who prematurely reveals the timing of an unannounced inspection can be charged with a class A misdemeanor and will face immediate termination. These changes aim to enhance the transparency, objectivity, and thoroughness of health care facility inspections in Missouri.

https://house.mo.gov/Bill.aspx?bill=HB598&year=2025&code=R