A BILL FOR AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning health.

Plain English Breakdown

The bill's summary and digest do not provide detailed information on specific penalties for non-compliance or implementation details of the work group's recommendations.

Health Facility Resident Protection Act

This act requires health facilities to take steps to protect residents from neglect and retaliation against employees who report suspected violations.

What This Bill Does

• Creates a work group to study ways to reduce resident neglect in health facilities and submit a report to the general assembly.
• Requires each health facility to appoint an employee as a family advocacy liaison for residents' families.
• Mandates that health facilities set up a process where outside experts review complaints about resident neglect.
• Health facilities must provide grief support to the families of deceased residents.
• Prohibits health facilities from punishing employees who report suspected violations of state or federal laws.

Who It Names or Affects

• Residents in health care facilities
• Families of residents in health care facilities
• Employees working at health care facilities

Terms To Know

Family advocacy liaison

An employee at a health facility who helps families communicate with the facility.

Retaliatory action

Punishing someone for reporting something wrong or illegal.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify what happens if a health facility fails to follow these requirements.
• It is unclear how the work group's recommendations will be implemented after their report.
• The bill urges, but does not require, legislative action on staff-to-patient ratios.

Official Summary Text

A BILL FOR AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning health.
Health facility matters.

Current Bill Text

A BILL FOR AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning health.

Health facility matters.

Requires the state health commissioner to establish a work group to study methods of reducing and preventing health facility resident neglect and submit a report to the general assembly. Requires a health facility to do the following: (1) Designate at least one employee to act as a family advocacy liaison. (2) Establish an independent third party review process for written resident or other individual complaints alleging neglect of a resident. (3) Offer grief support to the family of a deceased resident. Prohibits a health facility from taking retaliatory action against an employee because the employee: (1) discloses actions or practices by the health facility that the employee reasonably believes violate state or federal law; (2) provides information or testifies in investigations or hearings; or (3) assists or participates in proceedings to enforce state law. Urges the legislative council to assign to an appropriate interim committee during the 2026 interim the study of requiring health facilities to meet certain staff-to-patient ratios.