LeadingAge NY to Convene Member Workgroup on ALR Quality Measures

(June 18, 2024) Members may recall that Governor Hochul proposed the development of quality measures for the assisted living residence (ALR) in the Executive Budget again this year. LeadingAge NY had several concerns about the proposal and was successful in having it removed from the final budget agreement. The Legislature introduced bill A.5790-B (Paulin)/S.8865 (Cleare), which addressed many of our concerns about the Executive proposal. Our primary objective was to ensure that we had a seat at the table in the development of quality measures, and this is addressed in the bill. We continue to have concerns, however, about the timeframes for each of the various requirements in the bill. During the legislative session, we advocated to extend all of the timeframes by one year; however, the Legislature passed the bill as written. The bill has not yet gone to the Governor, but we believe that when it does, she will sign it into law. We are proactively advocating with the Governor for an extension to these extremely ambitious timeframes to ensure that there is thoughtful approach and time for providers to set up a process to measure and collect data. This is critical to ensure that the data stemming from this effort is ultimately meaningful and useful to the consumer.

What Does the Bill Do?

The bill requires the Department of Health (DOH) to develop ALR quality measures with the input of stakeholders. It requires the reporting of these quality measures to DOH by Jan. 15, 2025, and then requires DOH to report the results of the quality reporting to the public by Jan. 30, 2025.

The bill develops a scoring system based on quality measures, with the top quartile on advanced standing, and therefore on an 18-month survey schedule, rather than a 12-month survey schedule.

The bill also requires the public posting of additional information such as rates, approved admission/residency agreement, rent, and service fees within 30 days of the bill becoming law. This information would then be reported to DOH by Oct. 1, 2024.

DOH must provide a report to the Legislature regarding quality measures for other adult care facilities (ACFs) by Feb. 15, 2025.

Per our advocacy, DOH must take into account the different certifications (ALR/Enhanced ALR (EALR)/Special Needs ALR (SNALR)) and models (continuing care retirement community (CCRC)) in this process.

The bill does not include national accreditation as a way to forgo state survey, as included in the Executive proposal.

Member Workgroup

LeadingAge NY is convening a member workgroup to help inform our advocacy regarding the development of quality measures as required in this bill. Members who are interested in participating in this process should reach out to Diane Darbyshire.

Contact: Diane Darbyshire, ddarbyshire@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8828