The department's system of quality improvement for long-term care services shall use the following principles, consistent with applicable federal laws and regulations:

     (1) The system shall be client-centered and promote privacy, independence, dignity, choice, and a home or home-like environment for consumers consistent with chapter 392, Laws of 1997.

     (2) The goal of the system is continuous quality improvement with the focus on consumer satisfaction and outcomes for consumers. This includes that when conducting licensing or contract inspections, the department shall interview an appropriate percentage of residents, family members, resident case managers, and advocates in addition to interviewing providers and staff.

     (3) Providers should be supported in their efforts to improve quality and address identified problems initially through training, consultation, technical assistance, and case management.

     (4) The emphasis should be on problem prevention both in monitoring and in screening potential providers of service.

     (5) Monitoring should be outcome based and responsive to consumer complaints and based on a clear set of health, quality of care, and safety standards that are easily understandable and have been made available to providers, residents, and other interested parties.

     (6) Prompt and specific enforcement remedies shall also be implemented without delay, pursuant to RCW 74.39A.080, RCW 70.128.160, chapter 18.51 RCW, or chapter 74.42 RCW, for providers found to have delivered care or failed to deliver care resulting in problems that are serious, recurring, or uncorrected, or that create a hazard that is causing or likely to cause death or serious harm to one or more residents. These enforcement remedies may also include, when appropriate, reasonable conditions on a contract or license. In the selection of remedies, the safety, health, and well-being of residents shall be of paramount importance.

     (7) To the extent funding is available, all long-term care staff directly responsible for the care, supervision, or treatment of vulnerable persons should be screened through background checks in a uniform and timely manner to ensure that they do not have a criminal history that would disqualify them from working with vulnerable persons. Whenever a state conviction record check is required by state law, persons may be employed or engaged as volunteers or independent contractors on a conditional basis according to law and rules adopted by the department.

     (8) No provider or staff, or prospective provider or staff, with a stipulated finding of fact, conclusion of law, an agreed order, or finding of fact, conclusion of law, or final order issued by a disciplining authority, a court of law, or entered into a state registry finding him or her guilty of abuse, neglect, exploitation, or abandonment of a minor or a vulnerable adult as defined in chapter 74.34 RCW shall be employed in the care of and have unsupervised access to vulnerable adults.

     (9) The department shall establish, by rule, a state registry which contains identifying information about personal care aides identified under this chapter who have substantiated findings of abuse, neglect, financial exploitation, or abandonment of a vulnerable adult as defined in RCW 74.34.020. The rule must include disclosure, disposition of findings, notification, findings of fact, appeal rights, and fair hearing requirements. The department shall disclose, upon request, substantiated findings of abuse, neglect, financial exploitation, or abandonment to any person so requesting this information.

     (10) The department shall by rule develop training requirements for individual providers and home care agency providers. Effective March 1, 2002, individual providers and home care agency providers must satisfactorily complete department-approved orientation, basic training, and continuing education within the time period specified by the department in rule. The department shall adopt rules by March 1, 2002, for the implementation of this section based on the recommendations of the community long-term care training and education steering committee established in *RCW 74.39A.190. The department shall deny payment to an individual provider or a home care provider who does not complete the training requirements within the time limit specified by the department by rule.

     (11) In an effort to improve access to training and education and reduce costs, especially for rural communities, the coordinated system of long-term care training and education must include the use of innovative types of learning strategies such as internet resources, videotapes, and distance learning using satellite technology coordinated through community colleges or other entities, as defined by the department.

     (12) The department shall create an approval system by March 1, 2002, for those seeking to conduct department-approved training. In the rule-making process, the department shall adopt rules based on the recommendations of the community long-term care training and education steering committee established in *RCW 74.39A.190.

     (13) The department shall establish, by rule, training, background checks, and other quality assurance requirements for personal aides who provide in-home services funded by medicaid personal care as described in RCW 74.09.520, community options program entry system waiver services as described in RCW 74.39A.030, or chore services as described in RCW 74.39A.110 that are equivalent to requirements for individual providers.

     (14) Under existing funds the department shall establish internally a quality improvement standards committee to monitor the development of standards and to suggest modifications.

     (15) Within existing funds, the department shall design, develop, and implement a long-term care training program that is flexible, relevant, and qualifies towards the requirements for a nursing assistant certificate as established under chapter 18.88A RCW. This subsection does not require completion of the nursing assistant certificate training program by providers or their staff. The long-term care teaching curriculum must consist of a fundamental module, or modules, and a range of other available relevant training modules that provide the caregiver with appropriate options that assist in meeting the resident's care needs. Some of the training modules may include, but are not limited to, specific training on the special care needs of persons with developmental disabilities, dementia, mental illness, and the care needs of the elderly. No less than one training module must be dedicated to workplace violence prevention. The nursing care quality assurance commission shall work together with the department to develop the curriculum modules. The nursing care quality assurance commission shall direct the nursing assistant training programs to accept some or all of the skills and competencies from the curriculum modules towards meeting the requirements for a nursing assistant certificate as defined in chapter 18.88A RCW. A process may be developed to test persons completing modules from a caregiver's class to verify that they have the transferable skills and competencies for entry into a nursing assistant training program. The department may review whether facilities can develop their own related long-term care training programs. The department may develop a review process for determining what previous experience and training may be used to waive some or all of the mandatory training. The department of social and health services and the nursing care quality assurance commission shall work together to develop an implementation plan by December 12, 1998.

[2004 c 140 § 6; 2000 c 121 § 10; 1999 c 336 § 5; 1998 c 85 § 1; 1997 c 392 § 209; 1995 1st sp.s. c 18 § 12.]

NOTES:

     *Reviser's note: RCW 74.39A.190 was repealed by 2007 c 361 § 10.

     Finding -- Intent -- 1999 c 336: See note following RCW 74.39.007.

     Short title -- Findings -- Construction -- Conflict with federal requirements -- Part headings and captions not law -- 1997 c 392: See notes following RCW 74.39A.009.

     Conflict with federal requirements -- Severability -- Effective date -- 1995 1st sp.s. c 18: See notes following RCW 74.39A.030.