Bill > HB2195

This bill modifies regulations for nursing care institutions in Arizona by clarifying the Department of Health Services' (DHS) access to personnel records, establishing new timelines for survey responses and complaint investigations, and defining the confidentiality of long-term care incident reports. Specifically, DHS's access to nursing facility personnel records will be limited to essential information such as names, dates of birth, contact details, employment dates, and documentation of qualifications, training, licensure, and health screenings, rather than broad access to all records. The bill also mandates that starting July 1, 2027, DHS must issue statements of deficiencies to nursing care institutions within ten business days after a state survey, and complaint investigations will generally not consider alleged violations that occurred more than twelve months prior to the complaint, with an exception for allegations of abuse. Furthermore, the bill allows DHS to conduct off-site preliminary reviews of complaints to determine if an on-site inspection is necessary, and it designates long-term care incident reports as confidential risk management tools used solely for internal investigations and quality improvement, to be kept separate from resident medical records.

Health and Social Services

https://apps.azleg.gov/BillStatus/BillOverview/83865