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TITLE 26HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
PART 1HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES COMMISSION
CHAPTER 553LICENSING STANDARDS FOR ASSISTED LIVING FACILITIES
SUBCHAPTER ESTANDARDS FOR LICENSURE
RULE §553.259Admission Policies and Procedures

(a) Admission policies and disclosure statement.

  (1) A facility must not admit or retain a resident whose needs cannot be met by the facility and who cannot secure the necessary services from an outside resource. As part of the facility's general supervision and oversight of the physical and mental well-being of its residents, the facility remains responsible for all care provided at the facility. If the individual is appropriate for placement in a facility, then the decision that additional services are necessary and can be secured is the responsibility of facility management with written concurrence of the resident, resident's attending physician, or legal representative. Regardless of the possibility of "aging in place" or securing additional services, the facility must meet all NFPA 101 and physical plant requirements in Subchapter D of this chapter (relating to Facility Construction), and, as applicable, §553.311 (relating to Physical Plant Requirements for Alzheimer's Units), based on each resident's evacuation capabilities, except as provided in subsection (e) of this section.

  (2) There must be a written admission agreement between the facility and the resident. The agreement must specify such details as services to be provided and the charges for the services. If the facility provides services and supplies that could be a Medicare benefit, the facility must provide the resident a statement that such services and supplies could be a Medicare benefit.

  (3) A facility must share a copy of the facility disclosure statement, rate schedule, and individual resident service plan with outside resources that provide any additional services to a resident. Outside resources must provide facilities with a copy of their resident care plans and must document, at the facility, any services provided, on the day provided.

  (4) In addition to the facility disclosure statement, a facility that advertises, markets, or otherwise promotes that it provides services, including memory care services, to residents with Alzheimer's disease and related disorders, must provide to each resident the Assisted Living Facility Memory Care Disclosure Statement. The facility must disclose whether the facility is certified to provide specialized care to residents with Alzheimer's disease or related disorders.

    (A) A facility that is Alzheimer's certified and provides the Assisted Living Facility Memory Care Disclosure Statement to a resident, must also provide HHSC Form 3641, Alzheimer's Assisted Living Facility Disclosure Statement.

    (B) A facility that is not Alzheimer's certified and provides the Assisted Living Facility Memory Care Disclosure Statement, to a resident does not need to provide HHSC form 3641, Alzheimer's Assisted Living Disclosure Statement.

  (5) Each resident must have a health examination by a physician performed within 30 days before admission or 14 days after admission, unless a transferring hospital or facility has a physical examination in the medical record.

  (6) The facility must secure at the time of admission of a resident the following identifying information:

    (A) full name of resident;

    (B) social security number;

    (C) usual residence (where resident lived before admission);

    (D) sex;

    (E) marital status;

    (F) date of birth;

    (G) place of birth;

    (H) usual occupation (during most of working life);

    (I) family, other persons named by the resident, and physician for emergency notification;

    (J) pharmacy preference; and

    (K) Medicaid/Medicare number, if available.

(b) Resident assessment and service plan. Within 14 days of admission, a resident comprehensive assessment and an individual service plan for providing care, which is based on the comprehensive assessment, must be completed. The comprehensive assessment must be completed by the appropriate staff and documented on a form developed by the facility. When a facility is unable to obtain information required for the comprehensive assessment, the facility should document its attempts to obtain the information.

  (1) The comprehensive assessment must include the following items:

    (A) the location from which the resident was admitted;

    (B) primary language;

    (C) sleep-cycle issues;

    (D) behavioral symptoms;

    (E) psychosocial issues (e.g., a psychosocial functioning assessment that includes an assessment of mental or psychosocial adjustment difficulty; a screening for signs of depression, such as withdrawal, anger or sad mood; assessment of the resident's level of anxiety; and determining if the resident has a history of psychiatric diagnosis that required in-patient treatment);

    (F) Alzheimer's disease/dementia history;

    (G) activities of daily living patterns (e.g., wakened to toilet all or most nights, bathed in morning/night, shower or bath);

    (H) involvement patterns and preferred activity pursuits (e.g., daily contact with relatives, friends, usually attended religious services, involved in group activities, preferred activity settings, general activity preferences);

    (I) cognitive skills for daily decision-making (e.g., independent, modified independence, moderately impaired, severely impaired);

    (J) communication (e.g, ability to communicate with others, communication devices);

    (K) physical functioning (e.g, transfer status; ambulation status; toilet use; personal hygiene; ability to dress, feed and groom self);

    (L) continence status;

    (M) nutritional status (e.g., weight changes, nutritional problems or approaches);

    (N) oral/dental status;

    (O) diagnoses;

    (P) medications (e.g., administered, supervised, self-administers);

    (Q) health conditions and possible medication side effects;

    (R) special treatments and procedures;

    (S) hospital admissions within the past six months or since last assessment; and

    (T) preventive health needs (e.g., blood pressure monitoring, hearing-vision assessment).

  (2) The service plan must be approved and signed by the resident or a person responsible for the resident's health care decisions. The facility must provide care according to the service plan. The service plan must be updated annually and upon a significant change in condition, based upon an assessment of the resident.

  (3) For respite clients, the facility may keep a service plan for six months from the date on which it is developed. During that period, the facility may admit the individual as frequently as needed.

  (4) Emergency admissions must be assessed and a service plan developed for them.

(c) Resident policies.

  (1) Before admitting a resident, facility staff must explain and provide a copy of the disclosure statement to the resident, family, or responsible party. A facility that provides brain injury rehabilitation services must attach to its disclosure statement a specific statement that licensure as an assisted living facility does not indicate state review, approval, or endorsement of the facility's rehabilitative services. The facility must document receipt of the disclosure statement.

  (2) The facility must provide residents with a copy of the Resident's Bill of Rights.

  (3) When a resident is admitted, the facility must provide to the resident's immediate family, and document the family's receipt of, the HHSC telephone hotline number to report suspected abuse, neglect, or exploitation, as referenced in §553.273 of this subchapter (relating to Abuse, Neglect, or Exploitation Reportable to HHSC by Facilities).

  (4) The facility must have written policies regarding residents accepted, services provided, charges, refunds, responsibilities of facility and residents, privileges of residents, and other rules and regulations.

  (5) The facility must make available copies of the resident policies to staff and to residents or residents' responsible parties at time of admission. Documented notification of any changes to the policies must occur before the effective date of the changes.

  (6) Before or upon admission of a resident, a facility must notify the resident and, if applicable, the resident's legally authorized representative, of HHSC rules and the facility's policies related to restraint and seclusion.

Cont'd...

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